Extraordinary Attorney Woo | A Simple Yet Humble Representation Of Autism

“My name is Woo Young-Woo, whether it’s read straight or flipped. Kayak, deer, rotator, noon, racecar, Woo Young-Woo.”

Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a South Korean television series starring actress Park Eun-Bin in the title role, alongside actors Kang Tae-Oh and Kang Ki-Young. It premiered on ENA and Netflix on June 29th, 2022, and airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 21:00 (KST).

The synopsis of the drama tells the story of Woo Young-Woo, an attorney with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), working at one of the largest law firms in the country. Even with an IQ of 164, an outstanding memory, and a creative way of thinking, she has low emotional intelligence and poor social skills.

Our titular protagonist lists out palindromes; similar to that of her name, to introduce herself throughout the show. The first impression is crucial to know who someone is a person, and with Woo Young-Woo, it tells us almost everything we need to know about her. As she puts it in the first episode of the show: “I’m not an ordinary attorney.”

As a legal procedural, Extraordinary Attorney Woo’s approach to this usually uninspired genre is distinctive. While many legal Korean dramas forebears have dabbled in dramatic, unyielding explorations of ferocity in the courtroom, this series chooses to shine a buoyant light on matters of the law instead, as told through the innocent eyes of Young-Woo.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo spurs an overarching storyline to allow for the characterization of Young-Woo’s adaptability to each episodic case and clients of various circumstances to take center stage. The obstacles stacked against her, be it jealous colleagues or a disrespectful opposing counsel, all fail to sway her unadulterated passion for and focus on her job. Park Eun-Bin’s performance as Young-Woo is a remarkable indicator of her acting chops as she steps into the shoes of an autistic character, the representation of which is rare within the stratosphere of Korean entertainment itself.

Media depictions of autism spectrum disorder have always been a toss-up. They’re either glorified as socially awkward yet misunderstood geniuses with savant-like abilities; such as Joo Won’s character Park Shi-On in the South Korean drama Good Doctor and Freddie Highmore’s character Dr. Shaun Murphy in its American remake The Good Doctor; or written off as flat side characters written in to showcase the uglier, undesirable sides to ASD. But if there is anything to be said about Extraordinary Attorney Woo, it’s that Young-Woo’s characterization tends to lean towards the former.

Within the first two episodes, the series is already sending the message that there is an expectation for neurodivergent people to be able to compensate for their undesirable traits by being natural-born prodigies, not entirely dissimilar to what many underrepresented minorities have to go through both in financial works and in real life It might still be early to predict the depths writer Moon Ji-Won is willing to explore in Extraordinary Attorney Woo, but there remains ample space to do so; all we can do as the audience is to hold out hope that this space is well utilized.

Living with ASD is more chaotic than most people might seem to be. Personally, I don’t live with it, but my brother and youngest sister do. I’ve grown up with them, and still am, so I know what it is like to live with autism despite not having it myself.

When I found out about this television series through Instagram, I couldn’t be more excited to watch it. From the episodes that have been released so far, Park Eun-Bin almost accurately displays some of the traits that come with ASD. It isn’t noted in the drama where exactly on the spectrum Woo Young-Woo is, but from what I can tell from growing up with siblings who have the disorder, it’s accurate.

My brother shows a lot of the same traits that Young-Woo portrays in the show, such as covering his ears when around loud and abrupt noises and echolalia, which is the repetition of another person’s spoken words.

Over the years, my brother and sister have had to adapt and overcome certain aspects of society as they have entered adulthood, as have Young-Woo. Having to live with autism is a challenge for all who have it, and I am completely amazed by those people, because of how creative they are. My siblings never fail to amaze me when they come up to me to show me what they’ve drawn or learned recently.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a witty, light watch that rarely demands an understanding of the law nor ASD for viewers to appreciate. It holds up the mirror for those of us, like the people Young-Woo crosses paths with, to reflect on our own behaviors and misconceptions about neurodivergence. The show; while not entirely flawless in its depictions, breeds acceptance and empathy for those who live with ASD, and that itself is cause for celebration.

20.07.2022