.png)
Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 9 of Extraordinary Attorney Woo, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Eun-bin as Woo Young Woo, Kang Tae-oh as Lee Jun-ho, Ha Yoon-kyung as Choi Soo-yeon, Ju Hyun-young as Dong Geu-rami, Kang Ki-young as Jung Myung-seok, and Joo Jong-hyuk as Kwon Min-woo. We discuss:
The songs featured during the recap: “Young Woo Baragi Junho” by Jo Nam Wook and “A Whale in a Frame” by Roh Young Sim.
The Pied Piper case, which critiques Korea’s intense academic pressure on children and the hagwon (private academy) system.
Bang Gu Ppong’s philosophies: children must play, be healthy, and be happy immediately - and how he becomes a folk hero to the kids.
The courtroom scenes where Woo Young Woo defends BGP, arguing he is a political offender, not a criminal—a bold and passionate argument.
The deep moment of apology and humility when the Mujin Hagwon’s director bows before the parents to ask for leniency.
The kids’ dramatic and touching show of support for BGP in court—while ethically questionable, it reflects how deeply he moved them.
Dong Geu-rami and Min-sik's hilariously misguided advice to Woo Young Woo about how to show affection to Jun-ho.
The gendered expectations embedded in traditional dating behaviors and how Woo Young Woo’s literal interpretation leads to awkward moments.
Lee Jun-ho finally confessing his feelings to Woo Young Woo after episodes of inner conflict and hesitation.
The clash with Kwon Min-woo and how Attorney Jung once again defends Woo Young Woo, showing his deep principles and mentorship.
The mysterious nighttime visit from CEO Tae Su Mi to Woo Gwang Ho and its potential implications, especially with a journalist watching.
References
Cram or crime? Demand for illegal late-night hagwon classes persists despite gov't crackdowns
Korean “Noonchi” and Its Chinese Equivalent Demystified | by Charlene Xiaolan K. | Medium
Understanding Noonchi in Korean Culture and Language | TikTok
Noonchi (Nunchi) Primer for Teachers in Korea | EFL Magazine.
I felt so conflicted during this episode, with compassion for everyone involved. Anguish for the worried, confused parents, sympathy for the stressed-out kids, and concern for the defendent, who rightly believed that he was standing up for their rights to the joys of childhood. He did end up making his point, at least with these people, very effectively.
ReplyDeleteBut I also absolutely loved the scene on the bus taking the kids to court! It was hilarious and showed kids being real kids. I had so much fun not long ago with my niece’s kids, watching the movie Captain Underpants.
We howled all the way through it and like the kids in the scene, they loved that I thought it was funny. The pompous Professor Poopypants was my favorite!
Ellen, I totally agree with you that this episode was a roller coaster for everyone. I can't imagine not knowing where my children are for hours on end. But I also worry that we are over scheduling our kids. Another thought provoking episode, for sure!
DeleteI don’t really have a lot to add about the episode.
ReplyDeleteAs it was mentioned in the podcast, it is a strong criticism to the state of affairs around eduction.
As an outsider, the situation really looks excessive even though I am also from an Asian background and the importance of academic success was drummed into my head since early childhood.
During middle and high school I was either best, or second best student of the year (I wasn’t that good at University though). But, I still had enough time for hobbies.
Also, there is the law of diminishing return. Forcing these kids to study more and more can help only so much, and it actually has negative impact in the long run.
Finished “Our Movie”. A good and enjoyable series of that type of shows. I felt lukewarm about the romance though. It was probably my least favourite part. I wish it wasn’t there, although I fully understand that it made perfect sense and was integral to the plot.
Also finished “Beyond The Bar”. I am sorry to say that I wasn’t impressed. I thought it was Ok. Kind of average. It was made watchable with mild enjoyment thanks to the leads, especially the Male one. It is also sleek, and very polished.
I really liked only 2 episodes (9 & 10). Cases by and large were underwhelming.
The thing I liked most was the Office politics.
There was previously talk about how realistic it is. The cases might have had more realistic legal arguments (I don’t know), and the general setting looked more authentic.
But, our FL is just as unrealistic as WYW. If anything, I find her even less realistic. I don’t want to elaborate to avoid spoilers.
For a show presenting itself to be more authentic the bar is going to be higher.
I am afraid this is going to occupy second from the bottom place for 2025. “When The Phone Rings” is very comfortably sitting in that last place. I don’t think there is any danger to be replaced.
Seven Seas, I have to say that I was really disappointed with the last two episodes of Beyond the Bar. I still recommend the show, but felt like the last two episodes were weak and bizarre. I won't spoil things for people, so maybe we can have an email exchange.
DeleteI'm laughing that you have When the Phone Rings at the bottom of your list. "Going to Argan" is now in our vocabulary and I'm realizing that more and more shows "go to Argan" to up the shock factor in the last few episodes of a show, Which is a real shame.
I'll have to add Our Movie to my list.
Are you watching Tempest on Disney Plus? I am obsessed with this show. It is gripping, well acted, complicated, nuanced - I love it and am eager to hear what you think of it.
Joanna, I have already looked at "The Tempest" premise, but I am sorry to disappoint you. I am afraid this type of shows don't appeal to me at all. I might watch a movie, but not a series.
DeleteI have to say though that the writer is impressive. A regular collaborator of the amazing Park Chan Wook.
This episode did a great job of critiquing the oppressive education system (the educational industrial complex as I like to call it). It really is sad how much work these kids have to go through to meet their parents and societies expectations. This episode did not do a good job in presenting any realistic depiction of what would have happened to Bang Gu Ppong if had drugged a bus driver and kidnapped a bus full of children regardless of his intent! In reality the best I think he could have hoped for was confinement based on some sort of mental capacity. And the parent could have sued the school Hagwan for everything it was worth!
ReplyDeleteAlso, the idea the Attorney Jung would have let WYW cross examine their own expert witness without discussing it with him is insane! But as we’ve learned this show is not about the law.
Meeting with the kids when the parents are thinking of suing is totally unethical. I also am surprised the attorneys were meeting with the mothers without them having an attorney present. But they were quite clever to use SNU as a “bait” to get the mothers to allow the kids to attend the trial.
I’ll point out one more unrealistic legal aspect of this show, which Joanna touched on in an earlier episode. It seems very unlikely that attorney Jung’s team would practice, much less have trials, involving all these different types of law. Lawyers typically specialize in one type of law. Even big firms would have different departments that specialize in one specific type of law. There might be exception in the US where small town lawyers are doing different things like minor criminal defense, personal injury, real estate closing, preparing wills, etc., but that is not the case with big firms. Here Attorney Jung’s team is jumping from breach of contract, to land use, to criminal law without skipping a beat!
I agree that SNU has to be a K Drama Element. It is the only school they mention when they are talking about an “impressive” school. Same with Harvard in K Dramas. If someone studied abroad at a prestigious school its always Harvard! I know exactly the type of Harvard grad you are talking about Joanna. Do you know how many idiots I’ve met who went to Harvard?! But they are not as bad as people who went to Yale and tell you “Oh, I went to school in New Haven.”
I think maybe getting on your knees should be a K Drama element. I don’t think non-Koreans or westerners appreciate how significant a gesture this is. This is not something that is done lightly to ask for forgiveness or mercy. Often when it happens in (modern) K Dramas the person who they are getting on their knees in from of will try and stop them and say something like “what are you doing” or you don’t have to do this.” I imagine there is a significant historical reason behind this that goes back to the Joseon Dynasty and maybe the Japanese occupation.
Malcolm, thanks for weighing in with your legal perspective. And sorry for the late replies, everyone! I'm battling a cold. You will probably hear it in this week's episode.
DeleteAs I'm rewatching this show, I'm realizing that Woo Young Woo is skirting the law quite often for someone who claims to be so honest and obsessed with the letter of the law!
As for a law firm specializing in one thing, my little company has a labor and employment lawyer, an IP (intellectual property)layer, and a contracts lawyer. Because law firms specialize!
I agree that we gotta add SNU to the list. Hilarious about people who say they went to school in New Haven. I'll have to be on the lookout for that.
As for kneeling and bowing, yeah, I think we need to do more research. It's very expressive to kneel and bow and carries a lot of weight!
Thanks Malcolm for the commentary - a lot of the WYW's actions seemed off!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ellen on having compassion for all involved. I would extend the compassion for the parents, being one myself (and a 2nd gen Korean American). I'd like to think if you asked a lot of the parents if they would like their child to be able to spend more time playing, most would say yes, but they're stuck in a sort of "tragedy of the commons" situation, with the scarce resource being the kids' time and its correlation to achievement. No one wants their kid to be stuck in a hyper competitive environment, but that's where they find themselves. I frankly do not know enough about the Korean economy to comment how much is riding on university admissions, but from what I gather, it's quite a lot. Every country's economy is different, but I suspect the US is more forgiving and has more on ramps and flexibility for successful careers.
On a lighter note, I watched an episode of "Confidence Queen" on Amazon Prime. It's headlined by Park Min-Young and has Kwon Min-Woo er Joo Jong-Hyuk as a co-star. It's a grifters with a heart of gold drama. Park Min-Young is incandescent as usual but I found her more compelling in "Marry My Husband". Still not sure if I'll finish this one. I got reeled in by "You and Everything Else" on Netflix. I was surprised by the dark premise which was revealed in the first episode but a lot of the story is flashbacks to the two main characters middle/high school years so far. I'm in the second episode and enjoying it - the performances are really good. I'm amazed by the quality of the actors both adults and kids. Lastly I agree with Seven Seas that "Beyond the Bar" was OK but not particularly compelling.
SD-Guy! Glad to see you commenting regularly. Yay!
DeleteI have to share my journey with my oldest son. He was doing great in high school and then the pandemic hit. We weren't sure he was even gonna go to college. He's at a VA state school and while he was disappointed at first, it has been the best thing for him. He joined the "no cut" swim team, he knows all the professors in his small engineering department, he's President of the Rocket Club, and he's living in a great apartment with a great roommate. And because it's a state school, he will graduate next year with no debt. I agree with you that there are many, many more paths to a great life here in the US, and for that, I'm grateful. My younger son is yet something totally different, but that's a story for another day. He is doing well, but who the heck knows what his path will be.
Please watch Tempest on Disney Plus. I am obsessed with the show.
I "liked" Beyond the Bar, but it has no rewatch value for me, and the last two episodes were really disappointing. That's one of my criteria for a good show. Does it have high rewatch value? I've watched the first three episodes of Tempest twice already!
Thanks Joanna for the reply and hope you feel better soon. Congrats to your son for having a great experience! I signed up for Disney+ a couple times, the most recent explicitly to watch "Moving". And then they pulled it for some reason! Will have to consider signing up again for "Tempest" I guess. I did enjoy "Soundtrack 1" - short and low impact but likable stars and story.
DeleteI started to watch "Moving", but dropped it very quickly.
DeleteI felt like watching an American series with Korean actors. I have been told I am mistaken, and should have continued. Maybe.
But, I am fed up with superheros. Also, it looks like going to be a multi-seasons thing, which is a massive turn off for me.
Thought I’d throw in one more point on WYW and her deviations from legally questionable and unwise moves, and why she was not stopped by the parents, the judges, Attorney Jung or anyone else, including her own better judgement.
ReplyDeleteHer heart, along with everyone else’s hearts including ours, was really with those kids. We may not have all experienced all stages of life in every case, but the child we once were is still there within all of us. Our heads may be elsewhere, but our hearts are with those children.
Ouch.