3 reasons to watch Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Jul 18, 2022 10:09 pm

This South Korean drama - about a woman with autism who is a brilliant but awkward lawyer - is a shameless clone of Good Doctor, the 2013 K-drama that inspired the hit American medical series The Good Doctor (2017 to present).

But the show - the most-watched non-English-language series on Netflix from July 4 to 10 - slowly wins the viewer over with its humour, whimsy and compassion for its protagonist and her clients.

Here are three reasons to tune in.

1. A heroine you cannot help but cheer for

Park Eun-bin, star of period drama The King's Affection (2021), plays Woo Young-woo, who was five when her widowed father learnt she had autism - and that she had memorised all his law books.

Twenty years later, she aces law school and begins work at a top firm, where her social awkwardness and autistic behaviours make her an odd fit.

But she is a legal genius and, despite friction with her boss and co-workers, is soon helping them win difficult cases.

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2. Moving look at those on the spectrum

Park's characterisation of someone with autism veers dangerously close to caricature and cutesiness sometimes.

But the show does well when it comes to explaining some of the behaviours of those with autism, acknowledging the despair of their parents, and introducing a character on the less high-functioning end of the spectrum.

3. Absorbing legal procedural with humour and romance

Wisely, the series does not overly focus on her or her autism.

In the four episodes reviewed, each case-of-the-week is a fascinating snapshot of human nature that also offers a glimpse of South Korean society.

And the quirkiness of the show recalls some of the memorable bits of 1990s legal dramas Picket Fences and Ally McBeal - with lawyers singing, dancing, flirting and fighting with one another.

There are also stirrings of romance between Young-woo and a colleague, and the mystery of why the boss of her firm has taken such an interest in her.

It is more than enough to keep on hitting the "Next episode" button.

* Extraordinary Attorney Woo is on Netflix, new episodes every Wednesday and Thursday