[Drama 2022] Extraordinary Attorney Woo/Unusual Lawyer Woo Young Woo, 이상한 변호사 우영우

[backstreetboysfan]

4 hours ago, Lunkera said:

@backstreetboysfan SY standing up for YW and letting them have it. Aswell as YW confrontation with her mother are the 2 highlights of the episode. Park Eun-bin and Jin Kyung acting during that scene just blew me away.

 

3 hours ago, Min Mcgonagall said:

I’ll also add the scene between dad and YW at the hospital. I loved how he told her what happened but also tried not to badmouth the mother. Even if he resents her, he didn’t want to put that on his precious daughter. 
 

 

2 hours ago, minglanfan2 said:

Young Woo taking Min Woo to task exactly the way YS told her was funny.Eun Bin's range of emotions were great to watch today.

 

Yes I agree, those are good scene to.

 

2 hours ago, philosophie said:

I cried buckets in that scene when she revealed she was her daughter 

 

I so cried so much to  hugs.

[frozentundra]

NOW I know where I have seen Minwoo before. He was last seen as a gym trainer with a peculiar thirst in Happiness....!! 

[CarolynH]

My thoughts on ep 7.  I love the innocence of Junho's and WYW's relationship.   It's just so sweet. I don't know if Min woo is the anonymous poster only because it seems too easy to blame him.  But then again, who else knows about the circumstances surrounding WYW's employment? I suspect Min woo will redeem himself at the end.  Junho is his friend, so he must have some good qualities, right?

[philosophie]

1 hour ago, CarolynH said:

My thoughts on ep 7.  I love the innocence of Junho's and WYW's relationship.   It's just so sweet. I don't know if Min woo is the anonymous poster only because it seems too easy to blame him.  But then again, who else knows about the circumstances surrounding WYW's employment? I suspect Min woo will redeem himself at the end.  Junho is his friend, so he must have some good qualities, right?

Wasn’t that him in the Internet cafe at the end of episode 7?

[backstreetboysfan]

3 hours ago, frozentundra said:

NOW I know where I have seen Minwoo before. He was last seen as a gym trainer with a peculiar thirst in Happiness....!! 

 

Yeah that was him, he was in it nod.

 

1 hour ago, philosophie said:

Wasn’t that him in the Internet cafe at the end of episode 7?

Yeah you are right he was in the café on the computer, he wrote it.

[larus]

Weekly TV Top 10: ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ Sees an Exponential Jump in Ratings

by Hana Lee

 

This week’s drama ranking is out, and things have mostly stayed the same as last week. ENA’s Extraordinary Attorney Woo stayed atop the chart for three weeks straight. As the unmatched show has shed light on autistic individuals, viewers are hotly debating how people should see them in society. With the show’s soaring popularity, Park Eun Bin, Kang Tae Oh, Ha Yoon Kyeong, Kang Ki Young, and Joo Jong Hyuk entered the list of the top 10 popular drama casts.

 

tvN’s Alchemy of Souls remained at No. 2 on the list while viewers were divided on Go Yoon Jung replacing Jung So Min in Part 2. The cast and crew stayed mum about that matter to avoid giving away any spoilers. Meanwhile, the tenth episode left viewers on the edge of their seats as the romance between the two leads blossomed. SBS’ Why Her? landed at No.3 as its unrealistic storyline is getting unfavorable reviews from the audience, as opposed to the cast’s brilliant acting. JTBC’s Insider and MBC’s Doctor Lawyer are receiving positive reviews for its thrilling revenge story. However, the dramas failed to claim spots on the weekly top 10 list as many viewers found the shows too dark to watch.

 

TOP 10 Popular TV Drama Series

1. ENA Extraordinary Attorney Woo? (Share of Audience 59.16)( – )
2. tvN Alchemy of Souls (Share of Audience 11.52) ( – )
3. SBS Why Her? (Share of Audience 5.45) ( – )
4. KBS Gold Mask (Share of Audience 3.18) ( – )
5. tvN Eve (Share of Audience 2.73) ( – )
6. KBS Jinxed at First (Share of Audience 2.22) ( – )
7. KBS Café Minamdang (Share of Audience 2.19) ( – )
8. tvN Link: Eat, Love, Kill (Share of Audience 1.83) ( – )
9. KBS It’s Beautiful Now (Share of Audience 1.82) ( – )
10. KBS Bravo, My Life (Share of Audience 1.60) (▲2)

 

TOP 10 Popular Casts in TV Drama Series

1. Kang Tae Oh, Extraordinary Attorney Woo? (▲1)
2.  Park Eun Bin, Extraordinary Attorney Woo? (▽1)
3.  Jung So Min, Alchemy of Souls ( – )
4. Ha Yoon Kyeong, Extraordinary Attorney Woo? (▲22)
5. Seo Hyun Jin, Why Her? (▲1)
6. Lee Jae Wook, Alchemy of Souls (▽1)
7. Kang Ki Young, Extraordinary Attorney Woo? (▲1)
8. Joo Jong Hyuk, Extraordinary Attorney Woo? (▲26)
9. Seo Ye Ji, Eve (▽2)
10. Go Yoon Jung, Alchemy of Souls (▲20)

 

https://zapzee.net/2022/07/21/weekly-tv-top-10-extraordinary-attorney-woo-sees-an-exponential-jump-in-ratings/

[Lunkera]

Ratings for this drama is insane. Also nice to see Ha Yoon Kyeong getting popularity. Climbing 22 spots on that list

[Min Mcgonagall]

This is a not aired clip of ep 8

 

i don’t understand Korean, so if anyone wants to summarize what it’s going on, it’d be appreciated. 
 

however, it’s clear that Tae Sumi is now aware that the  Hanbada CEO knows about YW? 
 

 

 

 

[larus]

Is 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' helping or hurting the autism community?

ENA series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” continues to see higher viewership ratings each episode as the titular lawyer Woo Young-woo — a lovable genius with autism spectrum disorder played by actor Park Eun-bin — steals the hearts of viewers worldwide.  
 
While dubbed a “healing K-drama” due to its wholesome portrayal of Woo’s autism and her supportive colleagues, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” is not without criticism in regards to how realistic the story is and how it will actually influence Korean society’s perception of autism.

 

According to data analytics company GoodData, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo” is, without doubt, the most-talked-about television show in Korea right now. It started airing on June 29 on the newly-founded cable channel ENA and saw a 0.9-percent viewership rate for its first episode. That rate rocketed to 9.6 percent for its sixth episode aired on July 14, a number that would be considered a notable achievement even among major TV channels in Korea. It is also currently the most-watched show on Netflix Korea and topped Netflix's weekly Global Top 10 chart in the category of non-English TV series.

 

In the show, Attorney Woo is depicted as a lawyer who graduated from Seoul National University, one of Korea’s most prestigious schools. She is on the autistic spectrum but is high-functioning with an IQ of 164, depicted as a genius who memorizes every single thing she reads, including legal texts which helps her outstanding performance as a lawyer.

 

Although she graduated top of her class, she is initially unable to find a job for six months. Then she joins big-name law firm Hanbada. Each episode of the series revolves around a different case and the people she encounters. At her workplace, Woo’s bosses and coworkers have their doubts at first but soon accept her as a competent colleague.

 

Woo proceeds to resolve each case using her unique thought process and crushes the prejudice of people who look down on her for her autism.

 

 
“Extraordinary Attorney Woo” is generally receiving praise from viewers and experts alike for featuring a protagonist with a developmental disability but not viewing her through a sympathetic lens, which the media is often guilty of doing.
 
“As Woo takes the role of narrator during her soliloquies throughout the show, viewers are able to see the world and think through the eyes of the lead character who has a disability,” said pop culture critic Kim Sung-soo.
 
“The show does not take a condescending tone to patronize or reprimand non-disabled people either. At the same time, it does not depict people with disabilities as people who need sympathy or always require help from others.”
 
One scene that conveys such message is when Woo begins her first trial after joining the law firm — stammering, but remaining calm just like any other lawyer on the show.
 
“I ask for your understanding. I am... I have autism spectrum disorder, and it may seem... I may speak slow and look awkward to you. But I am just like any other lawyer in the sense that I love the law and respect the defendant.”
 

 

However, some say that the series and Woo's character are popular because she is high-functioning and only displays relatively mild symptoms of autism. Not only that, Woo is portrayed as a highly-accomplished genius who graduated from the nation’s most elite university and is played by a conventionally attractive actor.
 
As Woo’s autism simply seems like adorable quirks to viewers, some accuse the show of using the topic as a device to make the character and plot more interesting. There are concerns that it may end up imposing an unrealistic standard upon real people with autism.
 
An online post related to “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” that sparked a debate earlier this month reads, “Will this really alleviate our society’s prejudice toward autism? If anything, people may start asking, ‘Why can’t they [autistic people in real life] be like Woo?’ It creates an unrealistic standard of achievement. Korean society already wants people with developmental disabilities to stay at home or at facilities all day. I fear people will start saying, ‘If you’re not as high-functioning as Woo, just stay home.'”

 

Estas, a Korean organization for adults with autism, published a statement in December 2021 when the show’s synopsis — depicting a young female lawyer with autism who shows her brilliance at a major law firm — was first released. Estas’ statement accused the synopsis of depicting the disorder inaccurately and reinforcing some negative stereotypes about autism.  
 
While the series did reflect some of the feedback and is now praised for its usage of accurate terminology, Estas still maintains a critical attitude toward the show. Some parents of autistic children have also been voicing their concerns that the show portrays an extremely rare and unrealistic case of high-functioning autism, known as Savant Syndrome.  
 
However, while experts and family members of people with autism agree that the story is unrealistic, they hope it can serve as a stepping stone to raise awareness in Korean society.
 
“It is realistically unlikely for an autistic person to have a high IQ and actually become a lawyer, but I still think this is a helpful approach to make people more interested in understanding autism,” said Kim Yong-jik, an attorney and president of the Autism Society of Korea who contributed to establishing the nation’s Developmental Disabilities Act.

 

Officials at the Autism Society of Korea added that “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” did spark Koreans’ interest in autism and its symptoms, portrayed through Woo's quirky behavior. For instance, Woo is extremely sensitive to noise and always wears headphones for that reason. She only eats gimbap for her meals as she finds comfort in the fact that the dish is “reliable” because all the ingredients are visible at a glance. The character also has an intense fascination with whales and often starts to recite facts about the marine creatures out of context.  
 
The show’s screenwriter Moon Ji-won consulted with early childhood special education Professor Kim Byung-gun of Korea Nazarene University over the span of a year to try to accurately depict symptoms of autism. Experts say this will hopefully make autism seem more familiar and non-threatening to the general public who currently don’t have much understanding of the topic.  

 

Some point out that the truly unrealistic part of Woo’s story is her accepting coworkers at the law firm. The characters at Hanbada law firm who understand Woo’s differences and treat her as an equal have earned the show monikers like “wholesome K-drama” and “healing K-drama.”
 
For instance, the head of the law firm tears up the last page of Woo’s resume where she specifies that she is on the autistic spectrum. The scene indicates that her boss only cares about Woo’s credentials and abilities listed on the front page.  
 
When Woo displays echolalia, a symptom which refers to meaningless repetition of something another person says, or starts talking about whales out of context, her boss plainly states “No echolalia” in a calm manner.
 
Woo’s fellow attorneys explain social cues in a way she can easily understand, but also treat her as an equally competent colleague.  

 

Her workplace forms a safety net around her and shows a stark contrast from the "outside world" depicted in the show, which has people who yell “So what? You’re autistic!” at Woo or try to discredit her in the courtroom citing her autism. This may be a more realistic depiction of society than Woo’s kind-hearted colleagues. 
 
While some viewers reacted that Woo’s work environment is “pure fantasy,” it serves as a setting for viewers to reflect on and think about how Korean society today actually treats people with autism.
 
“Even in the show, Woo would not have been able to fully show her excellence if people around her did not understand her and complement what she relatively lacks,” said Kim Hyo-won, a pediatric psychiatrist and associate professor at Seoul Asan Medical Center. The professor who treats over 2,000 autistic child patients a year has been an avid fan of the series since it launched.

 

 
“What we should gather from this seemingly fantastical work environment is that we actually need to see them in real life,” she said. “Like her fellow lawyers in the show, we need to see more supportive people who make it possible for autistic people to thrive as independent individuals. This support network also has to made into a system in society as a whole.”
 
Pop culture experts agree that the series’ seemingly unrealistic setting will leave viewers with a constructive message in the long run.
 
“Woo’s boss is initially a bit skeptical about if she can actually be successful, but soon becomes very supportive of her,” said pop culture critic Jeong Deok-hyun. “There is no villain among the people around her. It tells us that in order for Woo to overcome inconveniences caused by her disability, unprejudiced support from people around her is key.”
 
“Sure, Woo’s surroundings look like fantasy, but it sparks hope that it can one day become a reality,” said critic Kim.

BY KIM JEONG-YEON, HWANG SU-YEON,BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr

 

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/07/19/entertainment/television/woo-young-woo-Extraordinary-Attorney-Woo-park-eunbin/20220719151012781.html

 

 

[nona88]

1 hour ago, Min Mcgonagall said:

This is a not aired clip of ep 8

 

i don’t understand Korean, so if anyone wants to summarize what it’s going on, it’d be appreciated. 
 

however, it’s clear that Tae Sumi is now aware that the  Hanbada CEO knows about YW? 
 

 

I have to say all this not aired  clib is important  they have important  explaining  of things , ibfont understand  they  decided  to cut them out but they still understand  it important  to understanding  characters  so they air it out of episode 

Okay this two had being enemy's  from eo long woo young mother has just steal important  group client from woo young boss ( the client  switching  farms now ) 

 

They also talk about the past when woo young  mother ask if the other ceo still angry about losing the man ( she did steal from her the man she like  or get her to lose him but we dont know who is ) 

And woo young boss backfire at her telling her that the one who should fear the past is her( something  like  to be carfer) 

 

Okay i explained  why this important  to understanding  characters and here why they cut it :  it in the evening and woo young  mother wearing the same clothes  she wear when she meet woo young and know she her  daughter and even  after we was touched by the mother feeling in that scene she go in the same day to continue  attacking the farm her daughter  work for so they did cut it to not run the beautiful  scenes of mother and daughter  but yeh it still important  to understand  her character 

 

[anjuliet]

12 hours ago, philosophie said:

I cried buckets in that scene when she revealed she was her daughter 

I did as well. My daughter asked me if I was okay cos I was all excited about Jun Ho x Young Woo moments and then crying my eyes out towards the end of the episode. 

 

I loved how they have taken a different route in her revealing herself to her mom. I was expecting the usual kdrama "way", but then again, this drama has proven to be above the rest so many times that I have lost count. 

[Sajeda kh Ahmad]

3 hours ago, Min Mcgonagall said:

This is a not aired clip of ep 8

 

i don’t understand Korean, so if anyone wants to summarize what it’s going on, it’d be appreciated. 
 

however, it’s clear that Tae Sumi is now aware that the  Hanbada CEO knows about YW? 
 

 

 

 

The client is meeting Tae Sumi and Han sees them together. When he finishes up with Tae he meets Han and tells her he's switching firms, she tells him that hanbada is good that they even beat Tae in court in the last case. He says he knows they are good but nothing beats a ministry of justice. And Tae is a candidate for that.

Han goes and faces tae I think says that Tae is using the ministry card to win clients but Tae says that hanbada should work better for their clients and that the client came to her and asked her for help. Han says you have to be careful, a person can fall in an instant due to a mistake And that Tae isn't mistakes free. Tae says she's not sure what mistake she has, stealing a client or stealing Han's man and making him her husband. She says it's all in the past. Han says you should be afraid of the past, your past love and the seed of love' the child'. Be careful and she leaves.

[Blizzardistkaputt]

Tae SooMi's opening scene was one like a formidable King walking into court but in the last scene, Young Woo's confrontation shred her pride into pieces. It was awesome to see how Jin Kyung's expression evolved in one single scene.

[Iluvkdrama]

What do you all think of Jun Ho’s family? Still remains a mystery… 

[SJW]

2 hours ago, Sajeda kh Ahmad said:

The client is meeting Tae Sumi and Han sees them together. When he finishes up with Tae he meets Han and tells her he's switching firms, she tells him that hanbada is good that they even beat Tae in court in the last case. He says he knows they are good but nothing beats a ministry of justice. And Tae is a candidate for that.

Han goes and faces tae I think says that Tae is using the ministry card to win clients but Tae says that hanbada should work better for their clients and that the client came to her and asked her for help. Han says you have to be careful, a person can fall in an instant due to a mistake And that Tae isn't mistakes free. Tae says she's not sure what mistake she has, stealing a client or stealing Han's man and making him her husband. She says it's all in the past. Han says you should be afraid of the past, your past love and the seed of love' the child'. Be careful and she leaves.

Thanks for the translation! my guess based on han's outfit that this encounter happened before she met youngwoo's dad in her office. the frustration on her face when talking with youngwoo's dad kind of related to the frustration she had after seeing tae and the client, especially youngwoo's dad exposed her worries that tae's law firm would become #1 as tae is the candidate for the ministry of justice. she might have the intention to use youngwoo to hurt tae but youngwoo's dad probably put a brake on her intention. and, tae now knows that youngwoo is her daughter, wonder if she will still pursue that judicial position. 

on a side note, minwoo's online complaint might also stop han's intention! his post has brought on so much unwanted or negative attention on han. if she would use youngwoo to attack tae, everyone would know that she is the one doing it!

[Min Mcgonagall]

3 hours ago, Blizzardistkaputt said:

It was awesome to see how Jin Kyung's expression evolved in one single scene

The whole scene was amazing...but for me, Jin Kyung's changing expressions were masterful. Excellent!

[anjuliet]

3 hours ago, 1775orange said:

What do you all think of Jun Ho’s family? Still remains a mystery… 

I have been observing him and he seems to come from an affluent family. I mean, it isn't every day that you meet a guy who knows how to dance a waltz. He also volunteered, maybe that's how he knew how to be patient with Young Woo and he was able to see her as a person and look beyond her disability. Maybe the volunteer organizatkon is owned by his family?? Even though he's roomies with Atty. Kwon , he doesn't seem to be lacking of money. I dunno, just a guess. 

[anjuliet]

Hello! 

 

Decided to get out of my lurking cave after nearly a year away here. I have read all the posts here and just wanted to add my thoughts about this beyond wonderful, awesome, etc. drama. 

 

Oh, where to start?? I'm really glad that I started watching this. It has exceeded all of my expectations and seems to have veered off from the usual kdrama clichés and drivel that get rehashed time and again. I like how they don't drag/prolong the cases (with the exception of eps 7 and 8), and mixing in their personal stories without detracting the viewers in any way. 

 

I'm sure we can all agree about the loveline progression between Young Woo and Junho, especially in episodes 7 ~phew~ and 8. We still need to see his, Atty. Kwon and also Soo Yeon's backstories. The look of restrained surprise and realization after YW confessed to him was, oh! I felt his joy and relief. Can't wait to see our jealous Junho in next week's episode and how Young Woo will handle all these new experiences and emotions. 

 

I'm equally glad that the director and production team waited for Park Eun Bin as her excellent acting skills is proving beyond fantastic in this drama. The cast, including Jin Kyung to play as her mom, are all in their best performances. I think a great deal of thought and care has gone into this drama, especially in dealing with autism and sensitivity about disabilities, and also in showing us that there are people like Atty. Kwon who think similar thoughts about people with disabilities.

 

I look forward to reading your posts on here. Has someone started a thread of Young Woo and Junho in shippers paradise? 

[K-dramafan22]

The best scene for me in Ep 8 was SY speaking up loudly at the corridor to YW for the ears of the colleagues suspicious of nepotism.  It was the best way to educate all these one-track-mind people who could not see the firms were wrong in the first place to have prejudice over YW just because of her condition despite being the best in class as a lawyer.  That was the icing on the cake for me...we already know SY is spring to YW, this made her even more spring.

 

Tae Su Mi was a mother who never wanted to have YW in the first place, her dad begged her to give birth to her.   What I could not understand was if he has worked as a lawyer, would he not be able to raise YW better with better finances?  That part kinda baffled me why he had to stop himself from practising law and be a gimbap chef?   Maybe I missed something?  Did Su Mi say that he could not be seen in the law industry as a condition for her to give birth to YW?   Or not wanting to see them again means that?  If it was, then that was such a huge sacrifice and this TSM was really a selfish and mean person.    How could a man raise a child properly without a career?   She has absolutely no motherly feeling for her baby at all?   Then why did she cry when she met YW?  People say, "A woman's heart or feelings is like the depth of an ocean"...think it applies here...  Hard to understand this TSM.

 

So ESTAS has finally spoken.  While I also agree that the depiction of general autism in this drama may not be realistic as I work with autistic kids, I also think we have to treat Young Woo as exceptional in the drama and enjoy it as a drama since she is depicted as Extraordinary, not the norm of autism.  The drama just gives hope that we can be a kinder society as a whole and that is not a bad thing. 

 

[anjuliet]

27 minutes ago, K-dramafan22 said:

That part kinda baffled me why he had to stop himself from practising law and be a gimbap chef?

Her father said something like he won't practice law so they wouldn't meet each other through trials, I think. 

 

I got the feeling that TSM didn't really know what happened after she gave birth to YW, maybe? 

 

31 minutes ago, K-dramafan22 said:

gives hope that we can be a kinder society as a whole

Yes, I agree with you on this.