This review may contain spoilers
thoughts from an autistic viewer
I watched Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and honestly, I’m really frustrated. At first, I was excited. An autistic lead, a legal drama with heart, a soft romance. It felt like something made for people like me. There were moments I liked. Young-woo is smart and kind, and Jun-ho? He was honestly the best part of the show. He never tried to “fix” her, he just loved her for who she is. That was beautiful. But honestly, that’s where the good ends.
The autism representation was disappointing. They kept saying it’s a spectrum, but then they wrote Young-woo as a one-dimensional stereotype, a genius with quirky behaviors and a fixation on whales. That was it. I wondered why she couldn’t be more functional or just different in her way. So many autistic people are social, emotional, and empathetic. Not all of us are savants or awkward in the same way. It felt like the show was ticking boxes for a neurotypical audience that wants to be inspired, not showing a real person.
And that’s the thing. I missed seeing Young-woo as a full person. She was just “the autistic genius lawyer,” nothing more. No messy layers, no real growth beyond her quirks. I wanted to see her struggle, make mistakes, and grow, not just be a walking stereotype. That absence made me sad.
Then there was the Tae Su-mi subplot, which felt unnecessary and distracting. The secret mom drama, corporate chaos, and hacking scandals pulled attention away from Young-woo’s story and shoved her into someone else’s messy plot. It made the show feel shallow, like the writers didn’t trust their main character to carry it. It was frustrating and honestly made me want to stop watching.
And Kwon Min-woo? Ugh. He was annoying and mean, constantly undermining Young-woo with ableist comments. The show tried to give him a half-hearted redemption, but no thanks. He was just toxic, and I hated watching him.
About the breakup. The reason made sense. Young-woo was scared of judgment and didn’t want Jun-ho to suffer because of her. Jun-ho was lonely because she was pulling away. That felt painful and relatable. But the show never followed through. There was no real conversation, no working it out—just a half-assed smile at the end like “Everything’s fine now.” That’s not closure. It felt like a cop-out. Their relationship was the best part of the show, and they deserved more.
I also really hated how Jun-ho’s friends, family, and colleagues acted like he was doing charity just by being with Young-woo or helping her. Seriously? She’s not some fragile charity case. Jun-ho wasn’t a hero doing favors; he was simply a decent person treating her like an equal. That patronizing attitude was exhausting and made me want to scream. It reduces autistic people to helpless objects instead of real humans who deserve respect. The fact that people close to him couldn’t see that was so frustrating.
I honestly don’t get most of the positive reviews this show gets. Where’s the criteria? What standards are people using? From where I’m sitting, as someone who actually relates to the main character, the representation feels shallow and frustrating. The writing misses the mark on what autism is, and the story just feels messy and half-baked in parts. I wanted to love this show, but in the end, it felt like it was made for people who want to “understand” autism without actually seeing it. It talked about the spectrum but showed only one narrow stereotype. It made Young-woo a type, not a person. Honestly, that’s just not good enough anymore.
The autism representation was disappointing. They kept saying it’s a spectrum, but then they wrote Young-woo as a one-dimensional stereotype, a genius with quirky behaviors and a fixation on whales. That was it. I wondered why she couldn’t be more functional or just different in her way. So many autistic people are social, emotional, and empathetic. Not all of us are savants or awkward in the same way. It felt like the show was ticking boxes for a neurotypical audience that wants to be inspired, not showing a real person.
And that’s the thing. I missed seeing Young-woo as a full person. She was just “the autistic genius lawyer,” nothing more. No messy layers, no real growth beyond her quirks. I wanted to see her struggle, make mistakes, and grow, not just be a walking stereotype. That absence made me sad.
Then there was the Tae Su-mi subplot, which felt unnecessary and distracting. The secret mom drama, corporate chaos, and hacking scandals pulled attention away from Young-woo’s story and shoved her into someone else’s messy plot. It made the show feel shallow, like the writers didn’t trust their main character to carry it. It was frustrating and honestly made me want to stop watching.
And Kwon Min-woo? Ugh. He was annoying and mean, constantly undermining Young-woo with ableist comments. The show tried to give him a half-hearted redemption, but no thanks. He was just toxic, and I hated watching him.
About the breakup. The reason made sense. Young-woo was scared of judgment and didn’t want Jun-ho to suffer because of her. Jun-ho was lonely because she was pulling away. That felt painful and relatable. But the show never followed through. There was no real conversation, no working it out—just a half-assed smile at the end like “Everything’s fine now.” That’s not closure. It felt like a cop-out. Their relationship was the best part of the show, and they deserved more.
I also really hated how Jun-ho’s friends, family, and colleagues acted like he was doing charity just by being with Young-woo or helping her. Seriously? She’s not some fragile charity case. Jun-ho wasn’t a hero doing favors; he was simply a decent person treating her like an equal. That patronizing attitude was exhausting and made me want to scream. It reduces autistic people to helpless objects instead of real humans who deserve respect. The fact that people close to him couldn’t see that was so frustrating.
I honestly don’t get most of the positive reviews this show gets. Where’s the criteria? What standards are people using? From where I’m sitting, as someone who actually relates to the main character, the representation feels shallow and frustrating. The writing misses the mark on what autism is, and the story just feels messy and half-baked in parts. I wanted to love this show, but in the end, it felt like it was made for people who want to “understand” autism without actually seeing it. It talked about the spectrum but showed only one narrow stereotype. It made Young-woo a type, not a person. Honestly, that’s just not good enough anymore.
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