Early Access: Extraordinary Attorney Woo E1

E1. The first thing I'd like to say, everyone, is that I do like this one, and right away.

I'd actually seen mixed reactions to this show, so I was curious to see where I would land.

Most viewers seem to take to this show very well, and I've heard lots of praises for Park Eun Bin's performance as Woo Young Woo, as well as the show itself, for being heartwarming.

On the other hand, I've seen comments that indicate that this show isn't doing a good job representing those on the autism spectrum, with some viewers who are themselves on the spectrum saying that this has caused them to feel misunderstood even further by the people around them.

I've only seen one episode of the show so far, so it's difficult to make a judgment on the drama as a whole - and the drama itself hasn't even finished airing, at this point, so no one can really judge it in full - but for what it's worth, this is my take.

Because there is an entire spectrum on which people with autism exist, it's basically impossible for a show featuring only one character on the spectrum, to be expected to represent that spectrum in full.

In order for a show to do that, it would need to feature multiple characters on different parts of the spectrum, in order to demonstrate the differences and nuances between the various parts of the spectrum.

Therefore, my only requirement of Show, is that this one character, is believable somewhere on the spectrum. If this character can exist somewhere on the spectrum, and Show is treating this character with sensitivity and respect, then I have no complaints on this whatsoever, really.

That said, I'm no expert on autism, and therefore, I can't make a formal statement about whether the characteristics that Young Woo displays are credibly from within the spectrum.

However, based on the little that I know, it does appear that Young Woo is being written with characteristics that are associated with people on the spectrum.

Like the discomfort with noise and physical touch; like a deep fixation on a particular chosen item (in this case, whales); like the tendency to repeat phrases that she hears.

These behaviors may not be shown by ALL people on the spectrum, but as long as these behaviors are known to exist on the spectrum, I have no issue with Young Woo showing these behaviors.

She should be allowed to be who she is, not only by the other characters in her drama world, but by viewers at large too.

On that note, I also wanted to say that Park Eun Bin is fully committed to the character, and I feel like she's disappeared into the person of Young Woo.

All the little ticks and quirks feel like natural extensions of the character.

Like when Young Woo is hugged by other characters, the way she receives the hug, with a stiffening of her arms and a curling of her fingers, is consistent, and shows her discomfort with physical touch, while also showing a general shy awkwardness in her expression.

I thought that was nicely done.

Another issue that I've heard talked about, is the alleged infantilization of Young Woo.

One episode in, I don't see that.

Sure, Young Woo's young and pretty and cute, but so far anyway, I don't see that Show is infantilizing her.

She speaks with the higher registers in her voice, but I don't think that alone would qualify as infantilizing Young Woo.

More importantly, Young Woo shows a desire to be independent, not only in taking up this job as an attorney, but also, when she's offered the option to have other attorneys speak on her behalf, on her first case.

She declines, despite knowing that this is not her strength - and then she seeks help from her friends, to practice her speech, so that she'll be more ready for her first court hearing.

There's nothing infantilizing about that, in my opinion.

Show is taking a slightly comic, lighthearted, family drama-esque slightly treacly approach to its storytelling, but I don't see that as infantilizing Young Woo's character either.

That's just a storytelling approach, and any character that appears in such a drama world would have a particular feel-good sheen to them.

A little lens adjustment should fix that nicely, and if you find yourself unable to make that lens adjustment, then, well, perhaps this show isn't for you?

On another note, I'm happy to see a good number of familiar faces at the law office.

I haven't loved Kang Tae Oh in any role that I've seen him in yet, but so far, his Lee Jun Ho is turning out to be very pleasant, understanding and kind.

The way he approaches Young Woo without prejudice, is really nice to see.

Kang Ki Young's also proving to be a good boss, in just one episode. His character Jung Myeong Seok might have started out wanting to get rid of Young Woo, but he's quick to see Young Woo's strengths, and importantly, he's also quick to see when he's been wrong, and apologize.

I really like that about him, particularly since he's Young Woo's supervisor, and therefore might understandably have reservations about apologizing to her. But he doesn't, and I totally give him brownie points for that.

I'm also pleased to see Ha Yoon Kyung, whom I enjoyed in her various outings in Hospital Playlist Seasons 1 & 2, as well as She Would Never Know.

Her character Su Yeon might be annoyed with Young Woo sometimes, but she strikes me as having a good heart, since she does want to help Young Woo, despite feeling perplexed at Young Woo struggling with little everyday things like the building's revolving door.

I'm also happy to see Joo Jong Hyuk as one of the attorneys in the law firm, because he's a familiar face from Yumi's Cells Seasons 1 & 2, and so it feels like having another friendly face in the office.

Plus, Baek Ji Won's always a pleasure, so it's pretty great to see her be a CEO this time.

This episode, I found it quite thrilling to watch Young Woo work through her first case, seeing things that other more experienced attorneys were too complacent to see, and taking it all in a direction that was critically helpful to her client.

I already like the kind of attorney Young Woo's turning out to be.

With the way CEO Han shows up at Young Woo's dad's eatery at the end of the episode, I do have to wonder if there's any history between them - like, is CEO Han Young Woo's.. mother?!? - but we'll have to wait and see, to see where Show takes this.

One last thing I wanted to mention, is that I've heard 2PM fans having a good giggle over the various 2PM references in this show; they are convinced that writer-nim is a 2PM fan as well, heh.

So far, I am suitably amused that our male lead is named Lee Jun Ho (and is as nice and perfect as Junho is known to be), and our female lead is Woo Young Woo (who's a little 4D in her personality, kinda-sorta like how Wooyoung's a little 4D in his personality).

For the uninitiated, in the 2PM fandom, Junho and Wooyoung are known as the twins, so it's already a little amusing to me, that our two main characters' names and personalities appear to be inspired by the 2PM twins. 😁

All in all, I was thoroughly charmed by this first episode, and I'm very much looking forward to getting better acquainted with Young Woo and her world. ❤️

Next episode notes will be out on: Saturday, 23 July 2022!

*This show will be covered on the VIP Early Access (US$15) Tier*