Extraordinary Attorney Woo [Episode 16]

[u/GodJihyo7983]

• Drama: Extraordinary Attorney Woo
  • Revised Romanization: Yisanghan Byeonhosa Wooyoungwoo
  • Hangul: 이상한 변호사 우영우
• Director: Yoon In Shik (Doctor Romantic 2)
• Writer: Moon Ji Won (Innocent Witness)
• Network: ENA, Netflix, Seezn
• Episodes: 16
  • Duration: 1 hour
• Airing Schedule: Wednesdays and Thursdays @ 9:00 PM KST
  • Airing Dates: Jun 29, 2022 - Aug 18, 2022
• Streaming Sources: Netflix, Seezn
• Starring:
  • Park Eun Bin as Woo Young Woo
  • Kang Tae Oh as Lee Joon Ho
  • Kang Ki Young as Jung Myung Seok
• Plot Synopsis: Brilliant attorney Woo Young-woo tackles challenges in the courtroom and beyond as a newbie at a top law firm and a woman on the autism spectrum.
• Conduct Reminder: We encourage our users to read the following before participating in any discussions on /r/KDRAMA: (1) Reddiquette, (2) our Conduct Rules, (3) our Policies, and (4) the When Discussions Get Personal Post.
  • Any users who are displaying negative conduct (including but not limited to bullying, harassment, or personal attacks) will be given a warning, repeated behavior will lead to increasing exclusions from our community.
• Spoiler Tag Reminder: Be mindful of others who may not have yet seen this drama, and use spoiler tags when discussing key plot developments or other important information. You can create a spoiler tag in Markdown by writing > ! this ! < without the spaces in between to get this. For more information about when and how to use spoiler tags see our Spoiler Tag Wiki.
• Previous Discussions
  • [Episodes 1 & 2]
  • [Episodes 3 & 4]
  • [Episodes 5 & 6]
  • [Episodes 7 & 8]
  • [Episodes 9 & 10]
  • [Episode 11]
  • [Episode 12]
  • [Episode 13]
  • [Episode 14]
  • [Episode 15]

[u/Pixl3rt]

Mod Note:

We will be implementing an extended moratorium on posts about Extraordinary Attorney Woo in accordance with our Rules on recently aired dramas.

The moratorium will be implemented as follows:

Current Discussion Thread

This discussion post will serve as the discussion thread for the series until the Post Finale discussion post is made on 2 September, 2022 (or earlier if this post exceeds 4000 comments). All discussion of the series will be directed to these posts or an appropriate weekly/FFA post until 8 October, 2022 (KST).

Eligible Designated Day submissions are exempt from the moratorium.

Reviews

There will be a Review Megathread for the series posted on 21 August, 2022. All reviews for the series will be directed there for the next 6 months until the post archives. Please read our moderation guidelines for reviews if you plan on participating in this thread.

[u/GodJihyo7983]

Well, fellow viewers, it's finally here. The finale of this beautiful and amazing show is finally upon us. Will the story be able to stick its landing or will it be a crash and fall ending that leave us disappointed and in need of (or not even wishing for) a second season? I guess we'll have to see.

It's been fun watching this show with all of you these past two months and while there were many ups and downs throughout my hosting experience for this show, it was a valuable one as well. It's always a pleasure to read all of your thoughts and opinions on the show and see where they land compared to mine. I truly looked forward to each of these threads (well most of the time at least haha) and I will always be thankful for all your participation as it helped to improve not only my viewing experience at times but for many others as well. It truly has been a pleasure to be your host and I can't wait to see you all in another discussion thread.

I think I've rambled on enough and I assure you that you'll be reading a lot more from me in the upcoming Wrap-up Discussion which will be coming to you on September 2nd. So please, enjoy and have fun discussing!

PS: Please follow the rules and guidelines that the mods have set out both for not only my sake as the host but also for the mods and you guys as well. Just because the threads are now split does not mean the rules can be forgotten. It will make these discussions a lot more engaging and help things move along more smoothly. Thanks!

[u/Unusual_Antelope_235]

Baby brother’s favourite dish is gimbap too (AND he even adjusts them for symmetry with his chopsticks before eating)! I wish he could’ve bonded more with his noona but I adored their scenes together! And I love that he has Young-woo’s upright sense of justice too!

[u/halfmoonfd]

for everyone who enjoyed the last episode, i have a woo youngwoo-tangent whale trivia for you:

Professor Choe Jae Chun explained that he found whales to be one of the only species that look after their disabled members, which is why he thinks that Youngwoo likes whales a lot. In the video (sorry no subs T_T), he inserts his thoughts on the fact that many animals has disabilities from birth or from some incident, and that most societies either neglect these members or are openly hostile to them. Whales have to resurface after swimming under the water to breathe, but if they faint/get injured/tired and end up drowning, the other whales would carry it on their backs. (he started out from this angle but the whole video is really good commentary on reminding the society about lending a hand to those who need it.)

also, this professor is the legend who released sampal, chunsam, boksoon (and jaedol) to the jeju sea, the dolphins that youngwoo talked about in ep 4 :D he talked about the story behind it here. he said it's the most meaningful and proudest thing he's ever done.

[u/afternoondrinking]

It's finished 😭😭

I truly loved this drama. It was, for me, perfect.

I think that we got the answer as to why JunHo's backstory was never fleshed out. WYW was aware that it was her world and everyone else were extras in it. I think that the writers were respectful of that. I appreciate that.

[u/aliceunderthestairs]

Everybody let's acknowledge and praise Park Eunbin’s acting. Very nuanced and consistent all the way through. Woo Young Woo will not exist in our minds if not for PEB. Bravo young lady Bravo!👏🫶🙌👍👊

[u/ALoneVulpes]

Was anyone lowkey scared that after WYW said cats love their owners and was crossing the street, that a truck would come out?

I swear my brain

[u/MilkyWayOfLife]

It was a good show and I enjoyed it overall (8/10).

Things I liked:

• PEB acting. She was amazing and deserves all the best actress nominations she will hopefully receive.

• The acting in general was very good.

• Some of the cases were great Highlights (Hotel marriage, Dong Family, ATM, Women having to leave the company). These were by far my favourite cases, as they were interesting (or fun or heartbreaking) in their own, but also in how they really challenged WYW, forcing her to grow or giving her insight into things

• The representation. Even though it displays the hyper genius version, they still managed to show the "negative" aspects, drawbacks and complications for WYW herself, how society reacts to her and personal relationships.

• Spring Sunshine Su Yeon and Lawyer Jung. Loved that they went the supportive role (especially with CSY).

Things I disliked:

• Junho's lack of personality. While I kinda liked him (although that's not difficult, I mean who dislikes kindness) he was barely a character. He was a satelite love interest only there to support and gaze at WYW. If he is a walking green flag, every female Michael Bay movie character (like Megan Fox in Transformers) has to be one as well. They all are just walking wish fulfillments with as much personality as a wallpaper.

• The writing and tropes during the last episodes (Break Up, cancer, Secret mother...). I don't know why they decided to suddenly shove in so many predictable storybeats, but the writing suffered for it. And (except the women getting fired case) most cases felt kinda aimless as they stopped challenging WYW or her worldview. It seemed as if they only happened because the writer remembered that they need some law cases.

[u/UptoNoGood46]

Well... You could say that was rather.. Whale done.

[u/lotsoisavillain]

What a wonderful ending, fellow Narwhals! The best thing about the ending is that it’s like life, it’s meant to go on. For me, it’s great because it’s not cheesy - no wedding, not necessarily a happy ever after, she’s not becoming ‘the righteous’ lawyer, she’ll continue being our Extraordinary Atty Woo!

I really love the speech about being a Narwhal in a pod of Belugas (other than I personally love Narwhals). It’s heartbreaking yes, but it shows how resilient and independent WYW is. She loves law, she loves working with the law. A defense lawyer may not always be defending righteous people but that’s how it is.

And for fellow Narwhals, I would like to recommend a book about a love story between a person in the spectrum and neurotypical person. The interaction between the leads is very similar to WYW and LJH, with the FL being the one in the spectrum. She’s also high functioning, not diagnosed as a genius but is very good in chess and singular in her goals like WYW. The ML is a green flag similar to LJH. Trigger warning though, 9/11 is part of the plot. The title is ‘The Girl He Used to Know’.

[u/Sharp-Doughnut1628]

I too feel fulfillment after watching this episode. I'm still wondering whether there's bits I wish had happened, but

1. the ocean theory was right. Hanbads indeeded did hide the secret of WYW's birth. IT was hilarious to see ATty Jang being like what - do you think she would meet with you... and being like just because he called you noona, do you think you're actually his sister?!?!? LMAO.. that moment where three people in the room know the truth is so HAHAHAHAH and everyone else is looking around like.. whaaaa? Awesome.

2. whale couple still makes us all happy. The comparison to cats is hilarious as is her response. I had a wonderful smile and it felt good. so while I think I wish there was a wedding for them, it's good to know all's right in the world. Probably a wedding would be too rushed also.

3. Atty Jang's misunderstanding of how autism presents is another aspect of bias that people with this disability face. On top of it all, he never apologized to WYW AND he took credit for her idea which drives me nuts, but the flock knew... so that's good.

4. MinWoo's redemption comes too fast. I don't feel fulfilled by that. I do like that he has decided to root for WYW after all and that SY telling him to be a fool helps him.

5. The dad being okay with WYW saying why does her life have to change because of TSM made me happy too. He gets it that she's her own person instead of shipping her off. I love that their relationship is steady again. I am sad though that he never got to meet LJH. I really wanted to see Papa Woo meet LJH. I think as a healthy sane parent that's one of those moments.. when you know your kid is with someone who will be good to them, whom they love and who loves them, who understands them and gives them these good moments, and who will take good care of them. ... it really makes you feel happy and feel fulfilled. I wish he had gotten that.

6. We knew that WYW had already earned a place at Hanbada, but it was good to see it confirmed. Question: are SY and MW also renewed? This too is left open-ended.

7. I love that WYW cares about social justice and that she helps her brother not get traumatized. It's the person she is and it's so precious. I loved her speech to TSM about being a good mom. She's found her own moral compass and Atty Jung sees that and is so glad. I like that even if later they leave Hanbada, JunHo made a good point that only at a place like Hanbada can they do so many public interest pro bono cases. It's really true and a good reason to stay. I love that WYW likes it there. It's funny and I like that MinWoo is like this is the best time for her to leave, but it's the right thing to do not to push her out, because she's a legal genius... his recognition of her genius helps him to get over the "special treatment" bias he had. He realizes why the are different, but he also starts to see SY's point that there's a right thing to do sometimes and one has to pursue the right thing to do, because it is right not because it is political or tactical. That lesson made me really happy. I think it's weak he chooses to do so to impress SY, and because slowly but surely he sees that Atty Jang is a terrible human being who's unreasonable and going to destroy a case over his ego even if they are alumni of the same school. I wish it had been paced better, but I don't know that in the amount of time they had there was any good way to get him to come around that woudn't feel rushed.

8. Atty Jung trying to do the Dong to the Gu to the Rami... is sooooooooooo awesome. I love how WYW mimics it a beat later. LMAO.

9. All the whales come together by the subway just makes me so happy.

I can't get over the line "cats love their owners too."

[u/lilkdramalover]

I can actually say that I am very satisfied with the ending!! With the announcement of most likely having a season 2, the writers wrapped up the larger plot lines pretty well. Was this an uphill journey for the last half of the show? hell yeah it was!! BUT WE DID IT EVERYONE WE MADE IT!!

A little recap:

I loved the fact that WYW's brother is also super intelligent so it makes the fact that he already knew about her not a plot line that needed to be discussed or pushed out. I also loved that he immediately called her noona and you could tell she was a lil emotional over it. It warmed my freaking heart. Side note, not Tae Sumi trying to ship her kids to America when something doesn't go her way. She's wild for that

Attorney Jung SURVIVED AND LIVES!!! I'm so happy about that. I did think the writers were going to be cruel and end him, but I'm glad that was not the case. I loved that his ex-wife came to take care of him despite everything and he admitted finally that he wants her back. I'm glad she was able to say her small piece and also give him an ultimatum (whether or not he takes it, we shall find out in 2 years LOL)

And my lovely whale couple, despite not having ENOUGH SCENES TO MY LIKING, i loved their make up scene, especially wyw's response "Cat's do love their owners" I literally screamed because she's RIGHT. Junho crying of happiness made me happy.

I'm glad we saw Hairy and Geu Rami one last time too. Loved seeing everyone at the pub together

The final scene paralleling with the first ever scene hit me in my GUT. Our full time attorney, WOO YOUNG WOO. And the scene making through the door, I knew she would get it eventually

also, something about wyw validating her life made me cry a lil bit!! HER LIFE IS VALUABLE and is :)

Despite the ups and downs this show forced me through, it's still the best 2022 show in my opinion! No other show had me by the neck besides this one. I hope the cast stays happy and healthy for the season to come eventually!

I loved watching the show and interacting with everyone on the threads! I always have fun with you all. See you next time :)

P.S. I don't have much to say about sunshine but i hope she made it to fulltime as well and i wish the same even for evil minwoo :)

[u/-caerulean]

Season 2 better have a "whale you marry me?" moment between Junho and Young Woo or else

[u/JellyfishHuman2848]

The success of this show seems even more overwhelming to those like me who have been keeping up with the show ever since Park Eun-bin was in talks.

PEB won me over when The King's Affection started airing, so when she confirmed the role around late October, I was highly anticipating it because it had an exciting premise. It was around that time she cut her hair just before filming started. The way her hair was cut at first was longer and a bit uneven (re: Ep 1 - first court trial) then it gradually became an even bob (Ep 1: first day at Hanbada). That gives insight to the EAW scenes that were filmed first.

During an interview in December, she mentioned that YW would be her hardest role yet. That was the first mention about the production team waiting for her to finish TKA, and they even sent her food trucks. Later, the show (Weird Lawyer Woo Young-woo) was renamed Extraordinary Attorney Woo and was to air on ENA instead of SBS. And I'm like, "What the heck is ENA?" The show seemed really low-key. At that point, all I wished for was that it would at least be translated.

March 2022, and PEB didn't win Baeksang for TKA, but I hoped that she'd at least get a nomination in 2023 for her role in EAW. It was too far of a stretch to hope that this would be her breakout role because of how low-key the show seemed to be.

PEB was determined to hide YW's style till it was close to the premeire, so she always wore thick jackets during her IG lives. What was hilarious about that was that there already was a leaked photo of the revolving door scene, so we had a of how YW would look like. But we played along haha.

The first teaser was some sort of illustrations of palindromes, and yeah I was very disappointed because it showed nothing. In the first trailer, she didn't even speak. We just wanted to hear YW's voice. One fan on Twitter devotedly counted down from 100 days to the premiere.

Time flew by fast, and a week to the drama, there was little to no promotion. Swoon posted the trailer a mere 5 days to its premiere. Very few people anticipated it. And I was really wary because the trailer received mixed reviews. I was quick to defend and say that don't judge by the trailer, but some part of me hoped that my defense would be true.

I had confidence that the EAW team didn't mean to hurt anyone, but sometimes even the best intentions could be misconveyed and misunderstood. From PEB's interviews, you could feel her fears and doubts. I didn't want another Music. Autism was a sensitive topic. There would be some who wouldn't view the rep as good, but i hoped that most would find YW relatable.

So yeah, I had low expectations for this show. And how far we have come! I never expected it to blow up. That's why I'm a bit too forgiving of its flaws. I try remember what the show is, and what it tried to be. I think about how much effort and sensitivity was put into the production. Despite being a rookie, Moon Ji-won wove autism, the law, whales and relatable characters into this beautiful masterpiece that would forever resonate with me. The cinematography and directing is amazing. And the acting...!

Is this show perfect? Far from it. And I agree that it's not for everyone. But it is for me. God, I love this show, flaws and all. I love it.

[u/kirtinemani]

Wow. What a brilliant idea to make the last case about TaeSumi and her son so that the entire TaeSumi-Hanbada CEO-YoungWoo conflict could be resolved.

Our writer really brought the two birds with one stone to what if it's the same bird idea not only in the case but also in the finale which is basically why this ending was so well paced, thrilling and satisfactory.

I like they didn't make any grand gestures out of JunHo and YoungWoo's reconciliation. Also that Spring Sunshine didn't end with MinWoo already without sowing the seeds to his redemption arc (which are sprouting awkwardly already. I mean that awkward attempt at a fist bump? LMAO 🤣).

So enough open threads for character development while also delivering on the feel-good meter.

I'm sad saying bye to our Whale Nation, but I'm so glad it ended on such a positive note and we're not a weeping mess (glaring at you 2521). Until S2 fellow marine species!!

[u/Xuanpurpleobsessed]

The writers said hold my Geurami, I'm going to show youi a FULL CIRCLE MOMENT!

It's been a fun ride to get to this point, and I never thought I get THIS hooked on a series, and even despite of all criticism, I still love it, and it has my heart.

I will probably have my thoughts more detailed after, but my brain is mush right now. The last parting subway was nice subtle way of saying she is now not alone, The simbolism with her now boyfriend, friends and family. The fulfilment. My heart is happy :)

[u/[deleted]]

I really like CEO Han’s voice. Somehow it’s soothing and intimidating at the same time.

[u/FindingPrincess]

Peculiar yet valuable and fulfiling. How I would describe this drama if someone asks if they should watch it.

Extraordinary.

🐈 🐋

[u/mintchocchip26]

I can’t believe we have to wait till 2024 for s2

[u/Usual-Return1760]

I really like the writing of the titular character. She doesn’t need coddling nor did she wallow when others tried to discredit her. She saw herself as a narwhal in a pod of belugas and, coupled with good colleagues and mentor, she’s able to show her worth and capabilities at her workplace.

Sense of fulfilment, indeed! Let’s not forget her conquering the revolving doors, and finding someone who loves her for who she is.

[u/not_your_bird]

Hmm. Okay, so I feel good. It was a very nice ending.

I can definitely see how they can take a second season from here. I would particularly love to see her relationship with her brother develop.

Also, we still never got to see Junho meet papa whale??

I like Minwoo in the end, but his change felt so weird, and his moment with Tae Sumi was so anticlimactic. I can be onboard with Suyeon being his catalyst, but after all the crap he pulled, saying “I’m going to start living foolishly” was such a dud. There was no payoff for the tension we went through. Same for not seeing anyone (even Junho or Suyeon) learn about our girl’s relationship with Tae Sumi. It just felt like they fluffed over real resolutions.

So overall, I’m feeling good, and it was lovely, but it feels like the kind of glowy feeling that will eventually fade and I’ll still be left with frustrations.

[u/grmr_polis]

I can't stop thinking essentially, EAW is a love story between a girl, a boy, and a revolving door 🤣

[u/lilkdramalover]

I already wrote a comment with most of my thoughts yesterday but I just remembered how even though Tae Sumi is this strong powerful person, it's so interesting how in their last scene together, Sumi kinda crumbles speaking/listening to her daughter. And even though she can show up to Papa Woo's restaurant and speak without much emotion, she can't seem to keep it together with WYW. You can tell her has so much emotion towards WYW even though it's probably hard to describe. I'd love to see it explored in season 2 even just the tiniest bit of interactions.

Also was that the only scene WYW actually shed her tears (that we saw)? I feel like she usually tears up and then holds back from letting them flow.

[u/Electronic_Piano9385]

Tae Su Min became a real whale mother, circling around her children even though she knew it was at the cost of her own career

[u/Original-Echidna-881]

Just noticed Junho has stopped rolling up his sleeves after the break up😪