"Praising Episodes 5 and 6 of 'Strange Lawyer Woo Young-woo'
"The simplicity that differentiates from the sentiment of ten-million-hit movies resonates more""
In episode 6 of the ENA drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," the protagonist Woo Young-woo (played by Park Eun-bin) is seen delivering a defense. Photo by drama broadcast capture
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] ※This article contains spoilers.
Moon Yoo-seok, a former chief judge turned drama writer, recently cited "simplicity" as the secret to the popularity of the ENA drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," which ranked first in buzz. He is known for writing scripts for JTBC's drama "Miss Hammurabi" and tvN's drama "The Devil Judge," as well as for essays such as "Declaration of Individualism" and "Judge's Regret."
Moon Yoo-seok recently praised on his Facebook, saying, "The virtue of 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' is its simplicity," and added, "Because the drama restrains emotions, the viewers' feelings are heightened." He explained, "In the scene 'You are the spring sunshine, Choi Soo-yeon,' after the touching lines of Woo Young-woo (played by Park Eun-bin) end, Soo-yeon (played by Ha Yoon-kyung) says nothing. She only tries hard to hold back tears and gathers her overwhelming emotions." This is the scene where Young-woo gives Soo-yeon the nickname "spring sunshine" because Soo-yeon kindly shared information about class cancellations and exam scopes since their law school days.
Moon then expressed admiration for the character Jung Myung-seok (played by Kang Ki-young), who appears as Young-woo's superior. He referred to a scene where a fellow lawyer confronts Myung-seok, scolding him for losing a client worth billions. This happened because Soo-yeon and Young-woo offended a doctor they called as a witness in a public interest lawsuit, causing them to fail in recruiting the doctor's medical association as a client. The colleague lawyer grabs Myung-seok by the collar and yells at him in front of many company employees.
Moon focused on the fact that Myung-seok does not raise his voice or argue with the colleague lawyer in this scene. He explained, "Jung Myung-seok simply calms his colleague down by saying 'Okay, that's enough,' and then tells the juniors, 'It's true that it was your fault,' because he is a partner lawyer at a large law firm."
He then praised Myung-seok's following lines. "Myung-seok adds, 'Still, let's not think of that public interest lawsuit or the defector case as trivial. Although it's not like a billion-won case, let's do our best,'" Moon said. "I find this scene very admirable." Because Jung Myung-seok does not deliver a forced melodramatic emotional speech to his juniors, this scene feels even more touching.
Moon analyzed, "Because it is the minimum goodwill that a real office worker can have, it is more relatable and trustworthy. This simplicity and restraint, which differentiate it from the countless blockbuster movies' emotional sensibilities, seem to be gaining even greater empathy." He added, "Since the emotional sensibilities of content consumers have already changed, I urge producers to please let go of the obsession with melodrama."
Former judge and writer Moon Yoo-seok praised the ENA drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" on his Facebook page on the 15th. Photo by Writer Moon's Facebook capture.
Earlier on the 3rd, Moon also praised the drama, saying, "Lovely, lovely, lovely. Long live Park Eun-bin." Regarding the character Myung-seok, he said, "I thought he was a strict old-fashioned boss, but surprisingly, he honestly admits his mistakes and apologizes. That law firm superior character is also very lovable," and expressed his expectations, "Maybe because such characters are rare in reality. It's a kind and good story, but it is not trapped in compulsive political correctness (PC), and the details come alive."
Meanwhile, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" is a drama about Young-woo, a lawyer with autism spectrum disorder, who joins the large law firm "Hanbada" and grows by solving various cases. It has been receiving praise for its touching episodes and showing a rising trend in viewership ratings.
Viewers are applauding the care taken in portraying autism spectrum disorder in this drama. Actress Park Eun-bin, who plays Young-woo, is known to have studied extensively and been cautious to avoid the mistake of unconsciously recalling and imitating previously portrayed autism spectrum characters or individuals in existing media. The production team is also reported to have devoted great effort to researching materials to accurately understand and depict autism spectrum disorder.
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