Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Whales
Extraordinary Attorney, the new Netflix hit drama, has garnered international acclaim due to its lead character’s remarkable legal acumen while living on the autism spectrum and her fascination for whales.
Young-woo’s autistic traits such as counting before entering a room or having difficulty using revolving doors may appear cute rather than distressing to others, yet the show does not shirk from her strong character and interests.
1. They are big
Extraordinary Attorney Woo, a South Korean drama, is receiving great success worldwide. The show follows a lawyer with autism spectrum disorder working at an established law firm. Her journey involves solving cases while learning empathy towards her colleagues and clients alike.
This show’s many captivating elements make it stand out, but one that truly stands out is its use of whale imagery to represent characters’ emotional states and well-being. This symbolic use is not mere trope, but an effective representation.
The main character’s favorite animal, a sperm whale appears frequently throughout the show as a reminder that our world is vast and breathtakingly beautiful.
2. They are smart
Due to Rain Man’s success, autism characters have increasingly appeared in media. While such genius characters may encounter obstacles and prejudice from society, their superior intelligence helps solve many problems they come up against.
Whales such as those depicted by Herman Melville’s Moby Dick offer an ideal example of this phenomenon. Whales possess some of the largest brains on earth both absolute size and relative to body size.
Young-woo often displays an affinity for whales, making them an obvious favorite animal of his. Additionally, Young-woo’s favorite whale seems to be protecting her baby whale even after knowing that she herself might become the target – an allegorical symbolism to women’s rights?
3. They are strong
Extraordinary Attorney Woo’s main protagonist, Young-woo, is an impressive force. As an expert at civil law who graduated from Summa Cum Laude Law School, she can effortlessly prosecute cases using her knowledge.
Her photographic memory and creative thinking help her tackle cases other attorneys cannot. Additionally, her casework serves as an unsettling commentary on social issues arising in local landscape.
She possesses an affinity for whales. In fact, her first case involved one that was eaten by a Japanese shark; she drew parallels between this incident and her own experiences as the victim of male coworker abuse; whale monologues frequently appear throughout her show to symbolize this struggle for balance and acceptance.
4. They are devoted to their children
Woo Young-woo is passionate about whales and loves sharing her knowledge about these large sea mammals with Jun-ho. Whenever she has an epiphany or discovers something significant, she makes sure to illustrate it with an image of a whale, dolphin or narwhal as proof.
Attorney Jung is one of the few who has patience for Young-woo and her eccentricities, knowing the value she brings to their firm and not wanting her to leave.
Though Jun-ho may not always express it directly, he clearly has feelings for Young-woo that go beyond work. Though careful to not make his intentions known too clearly, he makes it evident that he cares for Young-woo and wants to spend time with her outside of work – this gesture goes a long way for someone with autism spectrum disorder who often feels lonely or alone in this world.
5. They are lonely
Atty. Woo is drawn to whales not only because of their strength and intelligence, but also their loneliness; she herself had to grow up without a mother and often feels like an isolated narwhal among a sea of whales.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo is an international hit Korean drama about an autistic lawyer with photographic memory who uses unconventional thinking to solve cases through creative problem-solving and innovative approaches. The show has gained wide-ranging praise for its heartwarming storyline and loveable characters; in particular it has attracted worldwide acclaim due to whales making frequent appearances – which symbolize autism; therefore making sense that she would take an interest in them given they represent autistic people – who will talk at length about them any chance she gets and share fun facts that can reveal interesting information regarding them every time she sees one.
