I finally watched all the episodes of Extraordinary Attorney Woo. After claiming that it was lackluster overall, I felt guilty for judging it without finishing the series. So I watched it to the very end. I must say that this K-drama is fun to watch if you just want to chill. And as I’ve said, it has many strong points, including witty lines and tension build-up.
What I like the most about this series is that Woo Young-woo is a strong protagonist — possibly one of the strongest that I’ve seen among fictional TV and movie characters. She’s a strong protagonist because first, she’s a three-dimensional character: she has hopes, dreams, fears, and perspectives that stem from a nuanced backstory. Second, she has relatable weaknesses that are preventing her from achieving her high-stakes goals.
Young-woo is such a strong character that one will keep on rooting for her not just in her legal battles but also in her love life…even if her relationship with Lee Jun-ho is implausible.
He’s a Green Flag Even if He’s Not a Whale
Is it possible for a kind, good-looking neurotypical to fall in love with a person who has a developmental condition? Yes, absolutely! And I thank the series' creators for portraying this beautifully.
I also like it that Attorney Woo shows us that when a man loves a woman, the man will go out of his way to express his affection, protect her, and make his romantic intentions clear. What a shocking revelation, right??!! Yet a lot of abusive male leads are marketed as “romantic” for bullying people.
It’s also good that this K-drama depicts falling in love as a basically fun experience, not an angsty one. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s a green flag when the other person enjoys the weirdest side of you!
Finally, the male and female lead characters show us that dating to consider the possibility of marriage is the ultimate green flag in a relationship. That sounds like something out of the mesozoic era…but it’s true!
Narwhals Love Other Narwhals
But despite all the green flags, the immense cuteness, and the superb acting, I find the love story between Young-woo and Jun-ho unconvincing --- because it’s a fact that opposites generally don’t attract. Contrary to the portrayal of many Hollywood movies, we like a person more when they are similar to us. Though we might not be exactly the way they are, our differences with them lead to self-expansion opportunities rather than self-destruction because our common values will safeguard the relationship.
Except for their common strong sense of justice, Young-woo barely has any similarities with Jun-ho. Jun-ho even has to force himself to listen to all that whale talk because he loves her. Moreover, he facilitates growth in Young-woo by improving her social skills, calming her down, and validating her worth. But Young-woo doesn’t induce self-expansion in Jun-ho (unless something got lost in the English translation).
Narwhals Among Belugas
John Truby says that a well-written romance shows that we become better people by loving someone. To improve Attorney Woo’s love story, Jun-ho must have: a) similarities with Young-woo; b) a high-stakes external goal that is separate from his relationship with Young-woo; c) damaging weaknesses that are preventing him from achieving his external goal; and d) character growth that can only be facilitated by loving Young-woo.
For example, if I were to re-write Jun-ho, I’ll write a backstory of him starting out as an obese, pimply kid who loves learning about animals and reading spy novels. He consequently gets bullied by the other children for his appearance and his nerdiness. He learns to cope with this by suppressing his feelings and his interests, as well as by catering to people’s needs at the expense of his own.
The good thing that comes out of the bullying though is that he learns to stay fit to look attractive. But deep down, he still sees himself as that boy who will never fit in.
So when he meets Young-woo, Jun-ho remembers what his true identity is (because they're alike in many ways), nurtures it despite its weirdness, and stands up for himself as well as for their relationship. Very ISFJ!
Again, there are many things that I like about this drama. Yet I didn’t find it gripping enough, because Jun-ho and the other supporting characters felt like cardboard to me. Hence, the plot wasn’t as compelling as it could be.
It's beautiful though that Jun-ho treats Young-woo very well. Fictionists should stop portraying toxic men as desirable, and start promoting the good guys who have been here with us all along.
In the world of desperate dating, we may convince that opposites do attract. But it is an entirely different ballgame if you are married to one! You will likely end up walking on a long winding road, feeling alone. Ironic when one of the major purposes of being married is to be a couple.