
Even though Autism Awareness Month is not happening right now, discourse about portrayals of autism are still going on.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a K-Drama about Woo Young-woo, an attorney who happens to be autistic. While the show as a whole isn’t a 100% perfect portrayal of what it’s like to be autistic, I did love what the show got right. So this blog will go into the pros and cons and why I think you should watch the show.
Pros
Woo Young-woo is not the “magical autistic.” She is allowed to make mistakes. She doesn’t always win her cases. Since Woo Young-woo works for a private law firm, she usually has to work with corporations, ones that would usually be seen as the “bad guys” in typical legal shows. She develops a sense of ethics and becomes a positive influence to her coworkers and supervisor, but in ways that feel realistic. Woo Young-woo’s hyperfixation on whales also feels realistic. It ties into something very personal for her.
Her breakdowns happen at very realistic moments, like when she witnesses a car accident. She also has to deal with people who see her as a liability. Unlike The Good Doctor, however, Woo Young-woo proves to be a true asset to her firm. She’s such a good lawyer that one of her coworkers perceives her to be a rival.
I love that Woo Young-woo has such a wonderful, supportive community within her work environment. All of her co-workers and friends treat her differently. The show gets a lot of praise for the great female friendships and I have to agree. Dong Geu Ra-mi is basically like Awkwafina’s comedic roles. She treats Woo Young-woo like any other person. If this was an American production, Dong Geu Ra-mi would be quoting A Few Good Men and other legal dramas. There’s also Choi Su-yeon, who essentially acts like the “aloof big sister” for Woo Young-woo. There’s a scene where Woo Young-woo calls Choi “spring sunshine” that’s quite heartwarming.
Essentially, most of the interpersonal relationships Woo Young-woo has feel so realistic to me. Her romantic relationship with Lee Jun-Ho is also quite sweet. Their first kiss is basically my One Scene For Joy. In the midst of a very murky case, Woo Young-woo takes the lead with someone who loves her unconditionally. There’s certainty in spite of all the other uncertainties.
Cons
There are elements of the show that mostly serve the purpose of making Woo Young-woo “delightfully quirky,” such as her struggle to deal with a revolving door. There isn’t much nuance in terms of what kind of autistics are seen. Episode 3 features an autistic who’s hyperfixated on rapping penguins and his breakdowns are more frequent. In contrast, the only other two autistics are related to Woo Young-woo and they have more prominent jobs. So it’s either the “short bus” or the “genius.”
I also didn’t like that Woo Young-woo tended to mirror the anti-North Korean refugee sentiment in one episode. I especially didn’t like the way that her breakdowns were handled. Physical restraint is a last resort, as critics of the movie Music are quick to point out. What they should have done is have Jun-Ho take Woo Young-woo away from the scene of the car accident, then walk her through the box breathing technique, as shown in The Owl House.
My biggest complaint is that Woo Young-woo’s workplace rival doesn’t get a believable “redemption arc.” He hates Woo Young-woo for getting hired due to her father having connections, but given that she had a disability, no other law firm would hire her.
Why Watch the Show?
In spite of the flaws, Extraordinary Attorney Woo is still a great somewhat realistic portrayal of someone who’s autistic trying to make a living. The English dub has a bonus of having Woo Young-Woo voiced by Sue Ann Pien, who’s autistic. For those who don’t understand autism, Extraordinary Attorney Woo goes into the nuances of living in a world where autism is seen as a stigma. The show emphasizes the importance of having a supportive community. Most importantly, I love that the main character is realistically flawed and allowed to develop herself. The revolving door, as unrealistic as it is, represents her ability to adjust to change. By the end of the series, Woo Young-woo feels like she achieved what she wanted.
So yeah. Watch this show.