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Extraordinary Attorney Woo is an innovative series that showcases an autistic lawyer. This series challenges the notion that autism is simply a cute quirk, showing it can be more than a disability.
1. She’s autistic
Woo Young-woo is an accomplished attorney, yet she also happens to be autistic. Working at a law firm, she has an assistant mentor, friends, foes and hidden family secrets; with an incredible photographic memory for memorizing law statutes. Although socially awkward at times, when asked about whales or obscure legal statutes she can give encyclopedic knowledge.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo has proven popular with viewers, making history as the first Korean drama to depict an autistic character who does not simply exhibit cute quirks. The show stands out among others that depict autism by taking an holistic approach in portraying her personality: strong yet vulnerable during meltdowns – setting itself apart from similar shows that depict autism. But not all viewers have taken to its portrayal of autistic people.
2. She’s a lawyer
Young-woo’s intelligence and memory are remarkable, yet she also exhibits fierce passion for her work and an acute ability to spot what others miss. Her life centers around routines (always eating the same breakfast and dinner) while social anxiety causes echolalia (repeated repetition of meaningless words).
Despite her disabilities, she thrives at her job and cracks cases by paying close attention to small details that others ignore. She even finds a friend at work named Jun-ho who initially doubted her but quickly became her biggest supporter; helping with research, attending witness interrogations sessions, and encouraging whale trivia shared over lunch.
The show draws heavily from Mary Temple Grandin, an extraordinary professor and world-class zoologist with autism who overcame numerous hurdles to become a thriving professor at Colorado State University.
3. She’s a woman
This show follows a female attorney who can remain eloquent and assertive while maintaining her composure before both male clients and other attorneys. Furthermore, she manages to remain emotionally stable despite sometimes trying cases she’s assigned.
Young-woo tries hard to demonstrate her abilities as an upstanding lawyer to her clients and herself. This task must be accomplished despite not being able to communicate her emotions openly or look people directly in the eye.
She’s an amazing litigator with an in-depth knowledge of law and insights gained from whale biology – plus, she happens to be autistic! Rarely seen in media depicting autism accurately.
4. She’s a person of color
Young-woo stands up for herself as an underdog female lawyer in an industry dominated by men. Yet she stands firm, using her exceptional memory to win cases for clients and gain respect from colleagues.
Young-woo doesn’t express her affections through physical touch or verbal exchange, yet she still manages to understand when someone expresses how they feel to her. Additionally, she’s willing to step outside her comfort zone for good causes–even if that means fighting a judge she likes in the name of justice.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo has garnered generally positive feedback from the autistic community. Many praise it for accurately depicting Young-woo without making her into an exaggerated caricature; yet some autistics express concern that certain elements could reinforce stereotypes or fail to capture all aspects of diversity among people with autism spectrum conditions.
5. She’s a person with a disability
Young-woo is gifted with both an impressive intelligence and memory. She can often think outside the box when seeking solutions to difficult cases that appear hopeless.
She has two amazing supports in her father and legal assistant Jun-ho who provide invaluable help when she feels overwhelmed or upset over a case.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo is unique because it so vividly conveys the struggles associated with living with disability. Instead of depicting her merely as someone with autism who works as a lawyer, the film shows how autism impacts every aspect of her life – echolalia, sensitivities to textures and smells and picky eating are all very real elements in her storyline.
