Attorney Woo Young-Woo is extraordinary in many ways – she has memorized every book she has read since she was five years old, with her father’s law books, as the first set lodged in her young brain. The law also comprised the first words she said, or rather shouted, to her astonished father and neighbors, at the age of five. She also stood apart with other traits: an extreme discomfort with specific sounds, an inability to look directly into another person’s eyes, a dislike of prolonged touch, a fixation with large marine mammals, and, despite her genius, an inability to dislodge a bottle cap.
Attorney woo young-woo, the titular character of Netflix’s Extraordinary Attorney Woo, is in fact… an autistic person.
To be honest, I didn’t expect to like, much less be charmed, by this Netflix series. In fact I had long been jaded by the stereotypical portrayal of autistic individuals, often portrayed with the usual mix of savant syndrome and awkward social skills.
Yet when a friend told me about the series, I was intrigued. “How would they portray an autistic woman,” I wondered?
I warily watched one episode, and another, and the next, and felt myself slowly uncoil.
Yes, there were still some formulaic molds, yet the South Korean approach, was much more layered, nuanced and collectivist, showing Attorney Woo in all the roles she navigates – a woman, a daughter, an advocate, a young professional earning her place, a friend, a citizen, and a romantic equal. Her humanity, in all its warts and splendor, was gently revealed, and I found myself cheering her on.
In conclusion, Extraordinary Attorney Woo is an enjoyable step to recognize, affirm and validate autistic individuals in our work force and in our society. Watch it, and you’re sure to have a whale of a time.
Written by Isabel (Liza) Baccay,
Senior Speech & Language Therapist
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