Early Access: Extraordinary Attorney Woo E2

E2. Overall, this was another very enjoyable episode that felt accessible and easy to watch.

I like that Show is warm and feel-good in the watch experience, because that makes me want to watch more episodes, and soon. It's.. approachable and pretty easy to digest, I feel.

At the same time, I appreciate that Show doesn't appear to gloss over the difficulties or awkwardness that come with Young Woo being an attorney on the spectrum.

We do still get some spotlights on the challenges that face Young Woo as well as the people around her, and I think that's important, not only for education, but also, for empathy.

For example, even though we've seen the Jun Ho has been friendly to Young Woo, and states that he doesn't mind whale talk when it's just the two of them, this episode, we get a glimpse of just how intrusive Young Woo's random calls can be, on his life.

Kudos to Jun Ho, for remaining good-natured and patient about it, even though it must be quite perplexing to receive calls at all times of the day, which are mainly pure bursts of whale trivia, and not an actual invitation to talk.

Su Yeon's advice to Jun Ho, to draw some boundaries, is actually pretty wise, because I don't see how this could go on long term, unless Jun Ho is a legit saint (which, maybe he is?).

Her point, that Jun Ho should draw some boundaries unless he's prepared to listen to Young Woo forever, is a rather poignant one.

The question inherent in that, is how it would affect Young Woo, if / when Jun Ho eventually is unavailable to listen to her the way he is now.

Very tangentially, it occurs to me that this also raises some poignant questions about what would happen to Young Woo, when her father is no longer able to care for her the way he is now as well.

I like how Jun Ho takes that advice and manages to use it, without taking away his offer to Young Woo, to listen to her talk about whales. Making it into a lunchtime thing, where they can eat and talk about whales, is sweet, I feel.

It maintains the promise of whale talk time, while also creating a routine that involves spending time together, which I think is nice.

Closer to home, this episode, Show touches on the idea of independence, through the wedding dress case, and this tangentially shines the spotlight on how Young Woo is still very much dependent on her father, even though she's an adult.

Since it's becoming clear that Young Woo does desire independence and agency, this does provide a bit of a poignant dilemma in the background, even as we see Young Woo make progress in other areas.

The important thing though, is that Young Woo does make progress, and it's satisfying to witness, whether that progress is personal, like the way she proactively decides to only talk about whales to people who are interested in listening, or professional, like the way she comes up with new angles of approaching the case at hand.

It's completely predictable that Su Yeon has a romantic interest in Jun Ho, but it's also very understandable, since Jun Ho is presented as such a perfect character.

I thought it was rather amusing how both Su Yeon and Young Woo state that they would rather partner with Jun Ho than with Attorney Kwon.

Plus, how cute that Young Woo matter-of-factly describes their relationship as close, because they have a specific topic to talk about when they're alone. She's.. not wrong about that? 😁

It's unfortunate for Su Yeon that she appears to suffer from digestive issues, because that effectively makes her unable to go through with the bride and groom role-play with Jun Ho, that she'd been so looking forward to.

Of course Young Woo gets called in as a replacement bride, and of course, there's that  pretty tropey entrancing reveal moment, when Jun Ho sees Young Woo in the bridal gown.

I'm not complaining though, because Park Eun Bin really does look beautiful in that gown, and the smile that Young Woo flashes, is so radiant. Just, lovely. 😍

Show does appear to hint that this is the beginnings of some level of hyperawareness on Jun Ho's part, when it comes to Young Woo, since later in the episode, Jun Ho does also try to get Young Woo's attention, while she's on her way home.

I'm not opposed to Show introducing a loveline, since Young Woo as a character isn't being portrayed as someone with the mentality of a child.

If that were the case, then I would be weirded out by her having a loveline, since, if she had the mentality of a child, she wouldn't really be able to understand things like romance, commitment and consent.

However, because Show is presenting Young Woo as a young woman who is on the spectrum, but doesn't have the mentality of a child, I'm fine with the idea of her potentially having a loveline.

On the work front, I'm pleased to again see Young Woo hit on a key point of the case, which her colleagues haven't yet thought of, that actually propels them from struggling to find ways to achieve the compensation amount the client is asking for, to being more than on top of the compensation amount.

It gives me a thrill, that in the context of Hanbada Law Firm trying to prove itself a worthy competitor to Taesan Law Firm, which is the #1 law firm in the country, it's Young Woo who enables Hanbada to come out of this an effortless champion.

Would it be a stretch to say that Young Woo's arguably among the best lawyers in Korea, then?

As a side note, I'm glad to see Su Yeon actually lean towards Young Woo in a gesture of acknowledgement and encouragement, when the client expresses delight at their adjusted approach to the case, thanks to Young Woo's observation.

I like the idea that Su Yeon's actually nice enough to give credit where it's due, even though she's expressed in other moments, that she's annoyed with Young Woo sometimes, and jealous of her as well, for always being #1.

I also like that when it comes to seeking advice on how to drop the lawsuit, it's Young Woo whom the client, Hwa Yeong, seeks out, and not anyone else on the legal team.

This, despite Young Woo's rather unusual non-conforming behavior, and even though Young Woo isn't leading the case. I like this idea, that in just being herself, Young Woo manages to  establish credibility and inspire trust in others.

I love how Show ties its themes together, when Hwa Yeong wonders aloud why she hadn't withdrawn the lawsuit earlier, and Young Woo provides the answer, which is something that she herself has been mulling over, this episode - that Hwa Yeong isn't psychologically independent from her father.

It's quite the surprise, when Show reveals that Hwa Yeong's in love with another woman, and shows her walking off proudly with that Unni, hand in hand.

This is rather unusual by kdrama standards, so kudos to Show for choosing to be the voice of the underrepresented, not only in the way it gives an autistic savant like Young Woo the spotlight as our story's protagonist, but also in the way it chooses an arc featuring a LGTBQ character, and then gives it a liberating, empowering sort of treatment.

I'm also glad that Show remembers to tie up Young Woo's issue of independence, a little bit, by the end of the episode, with Young Woo circling back to the topic of marriage with Dad.

It's poignant to hear Young Woo say that she's unlikely to get married because she's autistic, but that if she were to get married, she'd like to walk down the aisle with her husband-to-be, rather than be walked down the aisle by her father.

But, how thoughtful of Young Woo, to also have put in thought about Dad and what she'd like for him. I love that her conclusion is that she would give Dad her bouquet, because she'd like Dad to get married too.

On that note, I'm actually surprised to hear that Dad's never been married. I'd assumed that he had been married, but that Young Woo's mom had either left him, or died.

With this new nugget of information, it seems that Young Woo's mom had left Young Woo as a baby, long before anyone realized that Young Woo was autistic, and that Dad had then brought her up alone.

And, if Young Woo's mom hadn't left Young Woo because Young Woo was a special needs child, then the other reason my brain is reaching for, is that Mom had left in order to further her own career.

This lines up with my earlier theory, that CEO Han might actually be Young Woo's mother, but again, it's too early to say.

Last but not least, I'm intrigued by the interest that the soon-to-be ex-CEO of Taesan Law Firm is taking, in Young Woo.

Will she try to scout Young Woo over to Taesan, I wonder? That would be a fun and interesting potential arc, I think, to have someone who's part of a marginalized group, be at the center of a tug of war between the two most prestigious law firms in Korea? 😁

Next episode notes will be out on: Thursday, 28 July 2022!