SOUTH Korean drama series Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a legal drama written and directed by Yoon In Shik. Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin), a newly-graduated autistic lawyer, starts at work at a legal office and has to fight discrimination due to her different-abledness, while also fighting for her clients in the courtroom. She soon befriends popular colleague Jun-ho, (Kang Tae-oh), who – despite some of her quirks – treats her with kindness and supports her through some of her lowest moments.
Attorney Woo’s take on this typically uninspiring genre is unique. While many previous legal K-dramas have engaged in intense, unrelenting examinations of fury in the courtroom, this series seeks to cast a buoyant light on legal problems via the naive eyes of Young-woo. Extraordinary Attorney Woo drives an overall plot that allows Young-woo’s cases and clients to take centre stage.
Young-woo appears as a driven character and a skilled attorney who quickly wins over the majority of her coworkers. However, there isn’t much time given to personal and professional interactions. Still, this benefits the series since it makes the most sense for Young-woo, a character who does not socialise in the same way or to the same extent as a non-autistic person would. One of the reasons I’m so hooked to this drama is the chemistry between Park and Kang’s characters. Because the drama concentrates on various legal challenges in each episode, we don’t get to see much of romance between Young-woo and Jun-ho.
However, whenever they appear together on screen, they always give us the best of themselves. Jun-ho appears to care profoundly for Young-Woo based on his actions and words, and it’s the small things he does for her that make everything extra endearing to watch. Kang Ki-young plays Young-woo’s immediate boss, while Ha Yoon-kyung and Joo Jong-hyuk play her team members ... and professional rivals. All of the supporting actors perform an excellent job in their parts and contribute to the drama’s overall quality.
I would not really call the show revolutionary in any way, but it is genuine. And every episode is fun, with outstanding performances and an intriguing plot that promises to evolve in new directions over the season. If you are into court dramas, I can tell you will appreciate this one. Extraordinary Attorney Woo is available on Netflix every Wednesday and Thursday until the series finale on Aug18.
Cast: Park Eun-bin, Kang Tae-Oh, Ha Yun-Kyung and Joo Jung-Hyuk
Director: Yoon In Shik
E-VALUE: 8
ACTING: 9
PLOT: 8
