I really enjoyed Extraordinary Attorney Woo. If it weren't for some of the later episodes, I would have rated this even higher.

Woo Young Woo (goodness knows why her father named her that) is a girl born with autism. She has had a difficult childhood because of that, and was bullied throughout her school years, including college. As all dramas and real life have taught us, bullies really don't grow up. They're bullies in their childhood and they're bullies after growing up and they're bullies as they enter society as working adults. Young Woo graduated at the top of her class at college and in law school but she was unable to find a job because workplaces, as we know it, are discriminatory against the disabled. Since society behaves like a bully - is it any surprise that their children grew up the same way?

Skipping all of that - Young Woo's obsession with whales reminds me somewhat of Han Geo Roo (Move to Heaven) and his obsession with the aquarium and sealife. But this drama is nothing as dark as Move To Heaven. This drama is light-hearted, bright, and honestly, considering all the dramas I've watched all year, Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a good story but it is nevertheless a diamond in the rough.

Because of Young Woo's autism, her colleagues and senior mentor initially doubted her ability to perform at her job. Young Woo very quickly proved them wrong with her first case, and the story took off from there. The pacing was perfect for the first ten episodes or so. Each episode heralds a new case (towards the later half of the series each case sometimes takes two episodes) and each case comes with a soul-touching and soul-searching lesson. What made this drama such an endearing watch is not just Young Woo herself, but all the characters that made up the legal team of the Hanbada Firm. There is nothing more uplifting than having someone supportive at work, and an understanding, generous superior like Attorney Jung plus a kind colleague like Choi Soo Yeon give the drama an overall positive feel.

Joo Jong Hyuk is a very convincing actor who played the role of the office jerk, Kwon Min Woo. Mr.Kwon is small-hearted, selfish, hateful, and he discriminated against Young Woo because of BOTH her disability AND intelligence. Yes, go figure. He first complained that she's incompetent at her job because of her disability, but later he complained that she's too much of a genius. She's actually winning some sort of imaginary competition in his head. Of course, it was all because he felt threatened that he might lose his position at work to Young Woo. I have a massive complaint about the development of his romance with Choi Soo Yeon in the final quarter of the drama. The entire thing was completely unconvincing and it ruined the drama for me a little. It was as if the writer is saying, "hey, he's got his little family circumstance so we can see why he's being such a jerk so let's be lenient towards him." Honestly IDGAF if you've got a situation going on but having treated Young Woo the way he did royally pissed me off and he never really properly apologised for his actions and wrongdoing. Society is already rage-inducing the way it is, when has it ever been lenient and forgiving towards disabled and underprivileged people? But as soon as disabled people started to get a little bit of equal treatment, others rise up and cry about "favouritism" and "inequality". They're now feeling they're on the shorter end of the stick! Wow and now you want me to expense some sympathy towards a bully and a jerk like Mr. Kwon? No. I can't forgive and forget all the crap he has done to Young Woo. So I don't understand why would the writers have Soo Yeon like such a person. Dear sweet 'spring sunshine Choi Soo Yeon', whom Young Woo revealed have helped and defended her in college and law school, having to end up with a guy like this?! Nevermind, the writers tried to tone down his assholishwhatever at the final two episodes and I'm like, leopards can't change its spots overnight, okay???? Hmmmm???

The romance between Jun Ho and Young Woo is sweet and cute, but not very compelling. He fell in love with her after seeing her in a wedding dress? That's it? Or did he fall in love with her because he finds her quirky? IDK man, I love a good romance story and I'm completely open to accepting this main pairing, but honestly the writers need to make it more convincing for me. And since this is a legal drama that has a center female lead, I actually prefer the drama to move on without any romance.

There was a case that the team undertook, in which a guy volunteering at a disabled center dated one of the girls with intellectual disability and ended up sleeping with her. He was charged with rape and brought to court where he tried to argue that he was truly in love with the girl. This was a very interesting case that could address the the range of emotions disabled people feel including the emotion of love, which I thought was important in the way that could protect the disabled from being preyed upon and taken advantaged of by predators, but at the same time not to belittle the disabled's feelings and clarity of mind. I thought perhaps it could also be a stepping stone for Young Woo and Jun Ho to reflect on their relationship as a side. However, not only was the guy sent straight off to jail in the end, there was no after-thoughts by the main couple on this case. There was no appeal filed to assert that the guy truly loved the disabled girl, there was no space for viewers to think about the ramifications of that verdict on future cases where disabled people can also fall in love with other abled people. In my opinion, that episode was a complete missed opportunity.

I don't know about other people, but personally, Attorney Jung Has Stomach Cancer Arc was enjoyable for me. I was especially touched that he's still very much in love with his ex-wife even though they have divorced and separated for 5 years. I cried in the last episode because of his scene with his wife. Attorney Jung is a good guy who isn't afraid to admit his mistakes, including the first time when he doubted Young Woo's ability to function in her job. If he leaves Hanbada and Season Two rolls around without him, I definitely won't find the story as enjoyable. But I'm not willing to see him break up with his wife a second time because he can't keep his promise with her a second time to take it easy with life. I hope the writers and production team can come up with a compromise that will give Attorney Jung some kind of ordinary peace and happiness. I look forward to S2.