Avvocata Woo (2022)

Amazing Park Eun Bin + Pretty good portrayal of individuals with disabilities

Completed - 8/27/2022
Subjective Rating - 8.75 because I enjoyed the 2 special needs cases.
Objective Rating - 8.0-8.5

*Disclaimer* I have been working with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) for 20+ years. So my review might reflect some of my experience. However, I am NOT someone with a disability, and can’t speak for those with IDD or other professionals in the field. I am a drama watcher and will review “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” (EAW) as such, and not as a case study.

In order to fully enjoy this drama, one should bear in mind that this is not a documentary of Woo Young Woo, nor is this a law drama. This is a light hearted drama showcasing the uniqueness of Young Woo and her personal growth in life, career and love. When watching this, I would assume the creators want to shed light and educate on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and to break some myths.

Having said that, I fully enjoy this drama. I was very hesitant to watch EAW as I worried the portrayal of someone with a disability is going to piss me off. I don’t want this drama to shed a negative light on someone with a disability, or paint a rosy picture either.

Portrayal of Woo Young Woo and Disabilities - I feel that the creators of this drama put all the common traits, quirks, and characteristics of someone with ASD into Young Woo. I personally believe if I meet an individual in real life with all these traits, this person might not be as cute and adorable as Young Woo. They would have a much tougher time in life, despite being a genius and graduating with high honors from a prestigious university. But as I said, this is not a documentary, so I will just go with the flow. There are two court cases about people with IDD and I am glad that the show mentioned the ‘Spectrum’ part of Autism Spectrum Disorder. The range is so wide that we can’t assume all individuals with ASD behave the same way. In fact, it doesn’t matter what your disability is, each individual is unique and special in their own way. We cannot assume someone with autism knows how to interact with another person with the same diagnosis, as evident in episode 3. In another court case, the focus is on romantic and sexual relationships between a young lady with mild intellectual disability and a man without a disability. It touched on some very important subjects - advocating for one’s rights to love and make decisions, understanding what love/sex mean, parent’s control and overprotectiveness, what the individual wants vs what their family wants, dignity of risks, stigma of being in a relationship (can someone with IDD be in a romantic relationship? yes they can!). These are all very realistic issues. Between EAW and the recently aired “Our Blues”, I am happy to see the portrayal of independent women with disabilities. They want to look pretty, want to have a boyfriend, and want to work to make a living, they want what everybody wants.

Park Eun Bin/Woo Young Woo (FL) - What more can we say about this amazing actress. She really deserves a Baeksang for her portrayal of Woo Young Woo. Another amazing drama after last year’s “The King’s Affection”. I am tired just watching her play this role and be in character mentally and physically for 16+ hours. Not only did Park Eun Bin give us an adorable Young Woo, but witnessing Young Woo’s growth, and Park Eun Bin’s acting in some very emotional but subtle scenes is an absolute joy. Young Woo gives us many comedic moments and you are never bored when she’s on the screen.

Kang Tae Oh/Lee Joon Ho (ML) - I am sure many of us fall in love with Joon Ho’s adoring eyes when he looks at Young Woo. This character is such a sweetheart and he loves and adores Young Woo for who she is. I almost placed him in my special Ideal Man list. However, I didn’t, because aside from being a romantic love interest, Lee Joon Ho is quite useless in this drama. He’s always on the sidelines or runs errands. There’s no character growth and nothing really happens to him. The romance is sweet and quite predictable. I just wish there’s more.

Supporting Cast - I enjoy the overall acting for the supporting cast. However, similar to my criticism of ML, this drama is very Young Woo-focused. Everyone else serves as a vehicle to help Young Woo grow in life and in her career. None of the side characters or stories are well developed. As much as I enjoy seeing powerful female lawyers, I still don’t understand why they’re rivalries. I do love the sismance though. Isn’t it nice to not have any catty, petty women but supportive female friendships? The secondary romance is somewhat bland. It should have started sooner. The way they fall for each other is not believable.

Court Cases - As mentioned this is not a law drama. The cases are short and episodic. I generally am not a fan of this format and find it repetitive. However, I didn’t feel it this way. The cases are not particularly interesting or exciting to me, aside from the 2 cases I mentioned above. Everything seems to resolve quite easily because Young Woo is a genius. I was never on the edge of my seat. This is probably the most light-hearted ‘law’ drama I’ve ever watched.

Overall, I strongly recommend this very binge-worthy drama. It’s light-hearted and fun. I hope the popularity of this drama does shatter the stigma and myths about Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Other Random Observations:
1. Lawyers should really lock their office doors when they go home.
2. Love the dolphin and whale hats - cute!!!!
3. Love the list of hilarious dates - picking up trash and protesting about dolphins.
4. First few episodes, the background music plays too much and tries to manipulate how viewers are feeling about certain scenes. This is not as noticeable in the latter part.

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Wonderful but with Some Unanswered Questions

I watched this drama as it was running and looked forward to each new episode, always a good sign. There are a few minor flaws but overall, this is a wonderful show. The premise of an autistic attorney working in her first job and dealing with the challenges this brings was really interesting and unique. The portrayal by Park Eun Bin was fantastic. (Not necessarily realistic in the sense that yes, autistic people are exactly like that, but consistent and believable as a character.) All the actors deserved high praise, with a special shout-out to Kang Tae Oh, who portrayed the sweet male lead to perfection.

Apart from the acting, I also liked that the court cases were not your typical serial killer stuff but more mundane and a bit odd even. Some commenters thought they were boring, but I appreciated the uniqueness. Many legal dramas have courtroom scenes that stretch from here to eternity but this one kept them reasonably short and mixed them with scenes in the law office, out in the field doing research (watch out for the truck of doom!), or after work, at home, in the bar etc. There is some romance, and a very, very beautiful first kiss scene, but romance is not the main point, so even people who don’t care for that kind of stuff should be able to enjoy this show.

Now to the flaws, which became more obvious towards the end of the show. This drama obviously focuses on the title character, but forgets to answer some basic questions about the other characters, especially about the male lead. Where does he come from and how is he so wonderful? Why does one of the attorneys turn from total jerk to Mr. Nice Guy? Why did one of the characters not go to the military? (I kept waiting for some dramatic reveal the entire show!) A little more background information about the supporting characters would have been nice, because they are really interesting characters and I would have liked to know more about them.

One more thing: I thought that the last episode was a bit of a let-down, mostly from the romance point of view. Sure, not the main point of the show, but still. Definitely a missed opportunity. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this drama and can definitely recommend it.

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Promising, engaging and heartfelt. I can tell this kdrama is going to be perfect in every way.

I knew from the well-written synopsis and colourful poster, I was going to love this kdrama. As someone who is also on the spectrum and has siblings, and cousins, who have ASD, I've kind of always wanted to see myself and my family members reflected on the big screen. Extraordinary Attorney Woo has surpassed my expectations in the best way possible.

Story:
The show focuses on themes such as law (in turn, judicial jargon) but does not restrict itself to the typical "criminal" aspect of the justice system as many shows do. Rather, we see a wide range of cases ranging from the extremely insightful uses of civil law and individual rights. Like many Western tv shows, Extraordinary Attorney Woo (EAO) has so far focused on 1 case per episode, while maintaining a perfect interpersonal relationship between the Main Character (Youngwoo) and her surroundings.

Youngwoo is amicably described in the first episode and sets out into the world. We are given a portion of her backstory that sufficiently contributes to her character and her personality as a whole. And as each episode progresses, her interactions with other characters also moves forward. The romantic interest(?) or at least, the first "friend" at Hanbada that Youngwoo makes, Joon Ho, is lovely, charming and patient. A perfect character to complement Youngwoo's troubles in socialising. This is hugely important because he even wants to apologise for misunderstandings and the discrimination that Youngwoo faces being autistic. Even minor characters receive character development and slowly change their perception positively. (However, there are a range of supporting characters that show different reactions to Youngwoo's behaviour. Some are indifferent, some make attempts to help, or ignore, and some are discriminatory. The wide range helps juxtapose how ostracised it can feel to be "different" and I think will strengthen the dynamics of the cast to stop it from being boring.)

The show deals with complicated and sensitive topics such as the harassment and discrimination that autistic people face every day, which I was so pleased to see. As ASD is a spectrum, everyone is different in their own way and EAO does this beautifully. There is also LGBTQIA+ representation, with a character from a case gaining psychological independence and coming out with her partner.

So far, EAO is bitingly comedic, dramatic and romantic all at once. Youngwoo's accidental humour comes from being blunt and straightforward, which warms our hearts. Interactions grow marginally romantic and always end with a smile on your face or laughter in your lungs. I am pleased that the show understands how to navigate comedy and romance well. It is truly captivating and you are never bored, not even for a second or two. However, after Episode 5 I will say that the show can also tackle serious topics beautifully as well, with ethical implications such as whether the law is the 'truth' or a 'weapon' to be used, being discussed, and how some people cannot move past Youngwoo's autism and see her for herself.

There is a 'side plot' brewing with small scenes at the end of each episode that allude to some sort of thrilling mystery set to unfold in the judicial world. I think this will likely give plot depth to some characters but I just hope it is executed well. Sometimes kdramas always feel the need to make things intense with thrill and mystery by the elongated episodes but EAO has been light-hearted yet hard-hitting when it needs to be. I think as the show progresses, it will be dealt with accordingly. So far, the first couple episodes have stolen my heart.

Acting:
I want to personally praise Park Eun Bin for the commitment to the role because so far she has done a remarkable job. As ASD is a spectrum I can't vouch for how accurate it is but I could see myself reflected in her mannerisms, as well as the small habits my sibling has like echolalia. No detail is overlooked and even the smallest actions are perfect, like Youngwoo fixing a chair to make it straight as she leaves a room even though she is not at the centre of the shot. It just blows my mind. Eun Bin has clearly practiced hard to make Youngwoo's character well-developed and not one-dimensional. She enhances the awkward expressions on others faces through the inability to look others in the eye, the staggered walking and the direct pace of Youngwoo's character as she goes about her life.

The chemistry between the characters is also off the charts. Kang Tae Oh has a small but kind smile that works perfectly in time with his lines and character. There is no strain or poorly worded lines at all. If anything, the show has some hard-hitting lines that truly resonate with you. A very compact and detailed script that gives a voice to all. It shows the true paradox of being in court, with who is the 'victim' and who is the perpetrator. Small actions are used to convey big thoughts consistently which make even the most minor of characters have some purpose and to not feel flat at all.

Many people with ASD tend to have a fixation or an enthusiastic love for a particular thing, person or place. Youngwoo's is whales. Eun Bin does this brilliantly with fast-paced, excited lines over whale facts and careful handling of Youngwoo's whale plushies and memorabilia. Now, this isn't ALWAYS a constant and I'm kind of glad for that because it now shows that Youngwoo must 'hold back' her personality and traits to conform to what others are saying, but knowing her and her amazing strengths, she'll fight back.

Other characters also appear well-developed and provide a range of supporting characters that can sufficiently make this drama interesting. Youngwoo's father discusses the hardships of raising an child with ASD, which I was happy about because it was sincere and showed how mentally draining being a caretaker can be. Most people are already stigmatised by autistic people and extend that disgust and discrimination to others who care for or interact with them.

Music:
Light-hearted, almost melodic. Often picks up the pace when Youngwoo has an epiphany. It plays on the up-beat and "moving forward" direction that Youngwoo's life leads. No song is out of place. Sometimes it is a little too loud for how soft it is meant to sound as background music but it generally follows a generic undertone.

Rewatch Value:
10/10. As you know, kdramas can be tediously long at times. However, due to the 1 case per episode nature of this show, as well as how the arcs are handled, EAO is a show you can rewatch whenever you want. It feels like a perfect pace and the nature of the main character Youngwoo means your attention is constantly grabbed.

Overall, I am so happy that this kdrama is doing so well so far. Thank you to the Director Yoo In Shuk for the visually pleasing, colourful and wonderful shots! The colour palette of the show being shades of blue like whales is also very unique and calming. It makes this kdrama one of those to binge in one sitting!

Hope this review helps :]

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beautiful writing beautiful story

So far I've watched 13 episodes, hopefully it'll be as good till the end. Everywhere I see people praising this drama for it's the portrayal of autism, it's great, love it, but that's not what I like most about this drama. What I love most about it, what I think made this drama so good, is how each characters are complicated people, they're all has their good and bad side, all are gray like all of us. Something rare in dramaland. Each episodes share many problematic things in this world that we need to pay more attention to. Each episodes made us think more about social problem that often got shoved to the side. Each episodes made us contemplate more on how we should live our life, be a better person.

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I don't really get the hype

I watched it when it started airing but dropped it eventually. After it gathered attention, I decided to watch again to see if the story gets better but it hasn't.

Park Eun-Bin did a good job acting her role but I do not see any chemistry with her and the ML and honestly speaking, I think this drama will better off without romance or at least don't focus on romance early on - but yeah, as uncomfortable as it is they had to do those mukbang(kissing scenes)
I just... am not comfortable because the guy seems to be a groomer teaching this innocent girls of things..

After 12 episodes it felt that the story is going nowhere...

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Just ok types series however overhyped one.

Positives : FL acting. Slightly different cases. Visuals, Few cases were good like case 4 : Geuramis father property.

Others: Weak plot, no development of any character and especially no importance to ML and no strong reasons why he liked her. And the converse as well, no good reason why FL liked ML. And character s change their nature over a night in the second half.

Though cases were different, they became dull after some episodes, and it’s too much of a drag when a case is dealt in 2 episodes. Imo, some of the cases could be re solved with just legal consultation

Overall can be watched once without much expectations and especially for acting .

Consider this as a light series, then it’s a enjoyable ride. (The unnecessary expectations were created because of the short 1 min scenes in each episode about mother , rivalry of firms, personal grudges)

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LOVING IT!

I am so loving this show. Both Park Eun Bin and Kang Tae Oh are superior in this movie. There are four of us in our family that are watching it starting from age 10 up to a 73 year old grandma. We anxiously await for every episode. Both actors have such great chemistry and Park Eun Bin should get an award for her performance. She is just adorable in this movie.
I love that it makes me laugh and definitely keeps us all entertained with the storylines. I have become so enamored with Korean dramas and movies. When I really enjoy one of them I watch them numerous times because I have to read the subtitles (I am an American) and I always see something new that I missed the first time. Keep it coming.

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Don't like it just because you pity her

First of all the actors are great. This drama was very good in the beginning but it lost it's charm
I binged watch it though it's not my genre.The cases were very intriguing and Her way of solving the cases were amazing, it was actually extraordinary. But after episode 9, something was lacking and after episode 11, everything became dull. The cases aren't interesting anymore. Now the MOST celebrated character from the show ,The male lead,His screen time is as less as my patience. I didn't even understand from when he started to like the female lead. People rave about the "green flag" thing only because he likes a girl with autism. I mean he's not bad. He's like any other kdrama male lead. And their love story and the "cat talk" was pretty unrealistic.

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leaves you wanting more

I just completed watching the drama and really enjoyed it. I liked that story told the story of a female navigating life with autism. It was rather unique and informative.

The acting is what blew me away. The cast did an amazing job. The main lead did a good job in showcasing someone with autism. I heard she did proper research before the role. Although the second lead didn't have much going storyline wise I felt as if did a really good job expressing his emotions even with little to work with. All the other actors did a good job as well.

Plot wise it was great the first half but then towards the last 3-4 episodes it was uncessary fillers. I wished the explored the whole secret child story as well as the relationship with the male lead a bit more rather than working on Jeju case. They spent a long time on this secret child plot for it to not even be properly utlized.

Then there was the Attorney that spent 1-2 episodes hiding from a guy he thought was after him just to get a text that he was arrested like what was the point? Just to lead into him having cancer? The relationship with the mom, brother and even the male lead should have been explored more. Even the dynamics between both CEOs of the law firm and the dad could've been interesting.

Although there were quite a few lose ends I think it was as good show. I am glad there is a season two and hope they properly tie those loose ends. I am glad they are keeping all the cast but dispointed there wouldn't be another season for another two years. with that time frame I am a bid pessesmtic it would happen, the cast would be the same, or even the story would be as great.

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It took me some time to finnish this series, but it was worth it

This show was really interesting. It mainly deals with law and autism and as a person, who doesen't know much about either of those topics, I really enjoyd it and thought it was a really nice view into thoes worlds.

It is mostly episodic bacause every episode deals with a different case (sometimes they deal with one case in two episodes). Becase of that it was a little slow for me and took me some time to finnish. There are not that many cliffhangers so it doesn't really push you that much to watch next episode. But there were some storylines, which where dealth with throughout the whole show.

There are time when you are really worried for the characters, so that shows how well they are written and played. This was deffinitly the best casting there could have been for this show.

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Love their friendship...

First time I watch this drama is because the actress, well she did well in every drama she in and I just love Park Eun Bin antics and then I realise Kang Tae Oh, the cutest smile man alive (^__^) from Run On and Doom at your service as the ML here, it put my excitement become more roaring.

What i love from this drama:
1. Every cases that Young Woo and Hanbada Team solve. Not all have a good end but we learnt something new from every case.
2. The friendship between Young Woo - Du Geu Ra Mi and Young Woo - Su Yeon. They are really having a great chemistry as a best friend ever.
3. The Senior and Junior relationship, Jung Myeong Suk is an attentive and supporting mentor for Young Woo. I love how Young Woo rely on him in the last two episodes.
4. The WHALE AND DOLPHIN! I lovesssssss everytime the Whale or Dolphin come to Young Woo mind and show us how she feel. When she feel lonely or sad and the whales just come from behind with the saddest sound it crush my heart!
5. The relationship between Young Woo dad and Hanbada CEO and Tae Su Mi. Yes they are in the same university but i think Young Woo dad is a popular man in that time, regarding that he date Tae Su Mi and than I think Hanbada CEO maybe had crush on him during college time ? and that makes Hanbada CEO don't like Tae Su Mi. I wish there more story about them in S2.
6. The Noona Dongsaeng relationship in the last episode. I love how Young Woo brother not looked and treat her as an autism person, but he comfortable to face the fact that he have a sister and he rely on her. I wish this part will have extra episode in S2, too. I really wish Young Woo and her brother eat gimbab together in Young Woo dad's store.
7. Last but not least, Young Woo and Jun Ho relationship!!!!!! I really like how they complete each other and being comfortable to each other. I like to see their relationship growing and become mature as they know officialy in a relationship. This also my hopes in S2.
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And for Min Woo and Su Yeon, I not really agree if they become a couple, I prefer they stay as colleagues and solve case together. I wish Min Woo and Su Yeon meet their new partner in S2. I really like if Du Gu Ra Mi end up with her hairy boss. They show us a good chemistry and they're weird and cute in their own way.

Also, I wish Myeong Suk found his happines in S2. If they make a plot twist, I wish, Myeong Suk will make his own attorney office and recruit them as his team. Young Woo, Su Yeon, Min Woo and Jun Ho, they can be a great team in Myeong Suk Laywer office.


Overall, I will watch this drama again for sure, just to see Kang Tae Oh brightest smile ?

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