Attorney Woo is an engaging legal drama due to its focus on neurodiversity. The main character, an attorney with autism spectrum disorder, plays an instrumental role in its plotline.
Young Woo takes on her inaugural case when an elderly couple who were his neighbors when he spoke his first legal word as a child is accused of illegal gambling activity by another of Young Woo’s neighbors, against whom there are all indications that something fishy may be going on in court. Even knowing all this, Young Woo still takes on this case even though all signs point in one direction or another.
1. They don’t know each other well
Young-woo is often difficult for some people to comprehend. She might not express it directly through skinship or verbal communication but she cares deeply for those she knows – be they friends, colleagues or acquaintances.
As she defends a mentally handicapped girl who was accused of sexual abuse, she realizes how much her team and family love the defendant; thus making it impossible not to accept this case.
She confides to Joon Ho that her relationship with him is comparable to that of a cat and its owner – it may not be reciprocal but they still love one another regardless. That sentiment extends to everyone at Hanbada; even if she had the option to leave them all behind she wouldn’t.
2. They’re not compatible
At times, it can be easy to think in binary terms; feeling that justice must always prevail is something this drama has shown us first-hand.
Soo-yeon exemplifies this perfectly; she puts herself in danger to do her best job. No one would take on cases she would rather pursue alone.
However, she also sometimes does things which may not be in her best interests, like visiting the father of her client in order to convince them to quit Hanbada. While doing this makes her uncomfortable as an attorney – but it must be done if one wants to provide their clients with excellent representation. It’s a difficult line to tread.
3. They don’t share the same values
Attorney Woo is known for her vast knowledge of whales and legal acumen, while also advocating tirelessly on behalf of women and minorities – although she still faces some ableism within her personal life.
At one point in time, she represented a client accused of child abuse due to an affair with one of her male colleagues. While the case ended well for their client, it required considerable emotional processing.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo is an entertaining binge-watch starring an autistic protagonist and explores various issues surrounding disability rights in America today. While the show might fall short in terms of representation, its central message argues for people with disabilities receiving dignity and respect in our world that often gives neither. We can all support that cause. Plus, watching it can challenge assumptions and prejudices within yourself!
4. They don’t have the same goals
Young Woo is autistic but nonetheless takes on cases that would challenge any lawyer. Her first case involves an elderly couple from her childhood neighborhood whom she successfully represented and convinced that neither spouse contributed to his death. After that she moved onto another case without warning; Joon Ho became frustrated because of this rapid switch of topic; Young Woo insists this is how her mind works.
In her ninth case, she finds herself representing an individual accused of sexually abusing a mentally handicapped girl against whom they claim consent was given, yet their accuser alleged otherwise and tried to twist their story by fabricating evidence against him.
This series tackles numerous contemporary socio-legal issues, such as allegations of family violence by an autistic individual, theft of technology from companies belonging to North Korean defectors and gender discrimination.
5. They don’t have the same interests
Kwon Min-woo (Joo Jong-hyuk), initially, seemed determined to destroy Young Woo, yet eventually had an unexpected change of heart and decided instead to support her instead.
Joon Ho was also deeply moved by Young Woo’s devotion to her work, commending her for always prioritizing herself over her personal life.
However, Joon Ho was dismayed that she seemed so quick to jump from one case to the next so quickly, seemingly trying to avoid answering his queries with justifications that made no sense to him. Although she understood his logic behind moving quickly from case to case quickly enough for him, this left him frustrated as it kept pushing him away instead of being an equal partner in their investigation process.
