Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022) 이상한 변호사 우영우 / Strange Lawyer Woo Young-woo (literal title)
Directed by Yoo In-shik, starring Park Eun-bin as Woo Young-woo, Kang Tae-oh as Lee Joon-ho, Kang Ki-young as Jung Myung-seok, Ha Yoon-kyung as Choi Soo-yeon, and Joo Jong-hyuk as Kwon Min-woo.
Watched 11 - 21 November 2025 — 16 episodes (NETFLIX)
*Finished this drama almost a week ago. It's a highly popular series and I loved it. Park Eun-bin as the titular Attorney Woo — who's autistic and gets a job at the prestigious law firm Hanbada — gives a great performance. I love all her micro-expressions. Initially I found her way of moving and walking a bit exaggerated, but I got used to it and overall her mannerisms seemed real. I loved it when she was more calm, while reflecting and lost in thoughts, or when she was being serious. Loved her sad moods. When she was crying, she was so endearing. You could almost sense how alone she felt in her sadness, and I just wanted to cuddle her.
*Attorney Woo is a genius with a high IQ and photographic memory — she happens to belong to the minority of autistic people with Savant syndrome. Though it seems a cliché to portray autism in this way (while Woo's genius ability is rare and the portrayal of her character is not a representation of autism in general), the show does emphasise that autism covers a wide spectrum.
*The drama as a whole is very enjoyable. It's quirky and cutesy. I love Attorney Woo's knowledge and obsession with whales and love all the whale epiphanies with fantasy elements. Park Eun-bin said in an interview I watched on YouTube that it was hard to memorise all the whale facts, also the legal facts, and produce them in rapid sentences.
*I like the show's episodic nature, with interesting cases. The quirkiness gave off Ally McBeal vibes.
*I knew there was going to be a romance and was looking forward to it. I thought the love story between the leads was very lovable. I love the male lead Kang Tae-oh as Lee Joon-ho, the way he looks at Young-woo and how he falls for her, hard and fast. I found his character a bit underwritten, though, for a male lead. Or it might just be his role at the office. He's part of the ligitation team but he also seemed to be in charge of arranging practical things, like handing out company umbrellas to his colleagues. At times he just seemed to tag along. But .... he is very cute! I want him to be my personal hug chair, lol!
*The nasty male colleague, Joo Jong-hyuk as Kwon Min-woo, is more interesting as a character and it wouldn't surprise me if he has more screen time than Joon-ho. Min-woo redeems himself out of love for Choi Soo-yeon (played by Ha Yoon-kyung). It's debatable whether his redemption was too abrupt, but I was happy he stopped being a jerk. I would have loved to see more of the developing romance between him and Soo-yeon.
*I love Soo-yeon!!!! The scene where Attorney Woo gives her the special nickname of Spring Sunshine was so sweet and it made me a bit teary-eyed. — Attorney Woo: "You're like ... the spring sunshine. I thought so ever since we were in law school. You told me where the lecture hall was, when class was cancelled, and when the test material changed. You tried to stop the other students from making fun of me, or bullying me. Even now, you open water bottles for me, and tell me that you'll let me know when they serve gimbap again. You're a bright, warm, kind, and sweet person. You're Spring Sunshine Choi Soo-yeon."
*I also love Young-woo's direct superior, Kang Ki-young as Jung Myung-seok. Fortunately the writers let him live and not die of cancer, and he might even get a happy ending with his ex-wife.
*The final episode is very satisfying. It's predictable that Attorney Woo's mother (Jin Kyung as Tae Soo-mi, CEO of Taesan, the rivalling law firm) is choosing to do the right thing but it didn't make the scene between her and Young-woo any less emotional, and it even made me shed a tear or two. The CEO of Hanbada law firm (Baek Ji-won as Han Seon-young) was less likeable than I had initially thought.
*This series was rumoured to get a second season but it's not certain this will ever happen. Let's keep our fingers crossed!