Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Korean)

Attorney Young-woo is gifted at reading and recalling laws like books. Her photographic intelligence makes her an exceptional lawyer at Hanbada law firm.

She takes on a case involving an elderly woman who claims her husband assaulted her and requests probation as punishment for him.

The Landlady

Korea has witnessed many discussions surrounding media portrayals of autism spectrum disorder characters, often glorified as socially awkward yet misunderstood geniuses with savant-like abilities or cast aside as flat side characters representing undesirable aspects of autism. Extraordinary Attorney Woo stands out by taking an unconventional approach by depicting how an autistic lawyer navigates the often toxic and competitive legal profession.

Episode 6 begins with Hyang-Sim taking her daughter to an orphanage and asking the lady in charge to take good care in protecting it, but she declines. Hyang-Sim was obviously disappointed in this decision but assured the lady that she will come back someday for her daughter.

Young-woo, the newcomer at Hanbada Law Firm, starts her first day meticulously organized. She loves whales – she has them everywhere from room slippers and prints, to tattoos. To prepare herself for court sessions she watches legal movies while teaching herself speech; surprising herself by believing she can present cases successfully before juries.

Young-woo is ready to meet her clients when her training is finished, beginning with the case of a woman hit by a car and ultimately dying as a result of injuries sustained from being hit. Young-woo discovers that the driver was drunk. Further inquiry reveals a doctor mention of having noticed hematoma on the driver’s head which leads Young-woo to questioning them further and finding clues from this information.

Young-woo meets her former landlord who needs money for his medical bills; although at first reluctant, Young-woo eventually agrees to help out. In her free time she visits the library to study for her law exam when Attorney Kwon comes by and questions whether or not Young-woo is actually disabled and/or making fool of herself.

The Prosecutor

Extraordinary Attorney Woo is an engaging slice-of-life drama, led by Park Eun-bin’s standout performance as Park Eun-bin follows an autistic lawyer new to legal practice as she navigates her professional environment, prejudice and love affairs. One of Netflix’s top non-English shows, it should not be missed by anyone seeking knowledge about neurodiversity and neurodiversity.

Young-woo is introduced on her first day as an associate attorney at Hanbada Law Firm and assigned an unproven murder case for which she acts as a junior lawyer. While legally unqualified to represent this client, Young-woo uses her photographic memory and intelligence to prove her client was unfit for trial, and that their husband did not commit the murder.

Young-woo quickly adapts to her work environment at Hanbada and its people, particularly her mentor Jung Myung Seok and legal support staff member Lee Jun Ho. Her natural ability to understand emotions and relate well with others makes her an effective lawyer; she learns much from him while developing close ties to him through friendship. Young-woo also shows characteristics typical of autistic people such as an aversion towards being touched or looking people in the eyes and having a specific topic (known as an ‘autism special interest”)- whales being her’special interest’ in this case!

She exhibits other hallmarks of autism, such as immediate echolalia and needing to organize things into piles or rows – often an indication of sensory overload and an attempt to control chaos. Due to her savant abilities, she provides advice and assistance to her peers by offering guidance regarding cases they’re working on.

Young-woo’s portrayal of autism stands apart from many media portrayals by not becoming an overly-exaggerated caricature. Instead, this show finds the perfect balance between being heartfelt and humorous while providing insight into everyday struggles experienced by autistic individuals. A must-see series for anyone hoping to gain greater knowledge of autism’s various manifestations in society and its significance within it.

The Judge

Attorney Woo isn’t someone you should take lightly: she’s an exceptional lawyer with a photographic memory and keen attention to detail, not forgetting a strong sense of self-respect and the courage to speak up when people try to take advantage of her; not afraid to stand up against people who try to take advantage of her, she won’t back down from any challenge even though it hurts; determined to prove she can still excel despite having autism.

The show follows a rookie attorney with an endearing personality named Young Woo. I appreciate that the show doesn’t gloss over how difficult it can be for those with autism to compete in an extremely competitive industry, often being judged and discriminated against even by professionals such as prosecutors and judges. Furthermore, it was nice to see how important having advocates were: for instance Young Woo’s old landlady encouraged her to become a lawyer while her dad supported his efforts as well as others around him who believed in Young Woo’s cause.

On her first day at her law firm, Young Woo formally introduces herself in court. Wearing her signature white suit and clutching thick law books, Young Woo surprises Attorney Jung but he allows her to handle her case independently.

He provides her with a public interest case about an elderly woman who beat her husband, which she attempts to convince him should grant probation, but instead insists she will be fired should she fail at winning it.

Young Woo interrogates the witness and uncovers an important piece of information: Her husband died from a hematoma and she accuses the prosecutor of trying to blame her for it.

By drawing upon her remarkable memory, she recalls a letter written by the husband prior to his death that proves he did not commit murder and that the old woman was simply protecting her children. The judge agrees to let her defend the case in jury trial but declines to indict the woman.

The Defendant

Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a legal drama featuring a non-neurotypical young woman’s savant-like abilities and autistic traits, including an obsession with whales. While its focus may lie within legal issues, time is also given over to developing its supporting cast and relationships – though you might come for Woo’s romantic encounters with earnest Hanbada litigator Jun-ho, you will remain for her relationships with BFF Dong Geulami (Joo Hyun-young) and co-worker Choi Su-yeon.

Young-woo’s first case on the show involves an old lady accused of hitting her husband during an argument with a hot iron, which caused him to faint and develop subdural hematoma. Young-woo is assigned as Young-woo’s prosecutor on this simple yet challenging matter.

Young-woo quickly establishes trust with her housemate by telling her they used to reside there years earlier, before interrogating their husband – who bizarrely becomes insane during questioning.

Young-woo uses her understanding of human psychology to get him to recognize that he was wrong; but that wasn’t all: Young-woo quickly recognizes that this man is both disabled and financially dependent upon his wife; he also had an angry temper, prompting his wife to strike him first.

She makes the point to the prosecutor that, since the woman only injured the man while trying to protect him, there can be no charges of attempted murder against him; rather, physical damage should be charged instead.

At last, the case is successful when the judge grants her probation; but before they can leave the defendant’s husband calls her pitiful and demands she be sent back into prison.

As she prepared to hit back, she grabbed his arms and shouted for him to stop. When he requested she take him to hospital instead, she refused and then threatened killing her before pulling herself together and running back to courthouse where Jung and Kwan tried to stop her, however she quickly brushed past them both, insisting her disability should play an integral part of why she should represent defendant.