I usually included a TV section on my monthly recap but I thought I’d do a separate post to do a mini-review of both series. I know that these two series couldn’t be more different from each other in terms of tone, style, and vibe, but they do have three things in common: they have a terrific cast, brilliantly acted and very addictive!
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Netflix)
Thanks to my pal Vince C. for recommending this to me! I have to admit I rarely watch K-dramas, but my hubby and I were hooked on this one right from the first episode about an autistic young attorney. As someone who works in the creative side of the legal sector, this show set in South Korean legal world is so fascinating.
Park Eun-bin is absolutely brilliant in the title role, I was immediately drawn to her and find everything about her so charming… her adorable bob haircut, the way she always counts to three before she enters the room, and especially her obsession with whales! I love the supporting cast too, esp Kang Ki-young as her boss Jung Myeong-seok, and Kang Tae-oh, the litigator Lee Jun-ho who’s clearly smitten with her. The moment Woo meets Jun-ho in front of the revolving door is just lovely and hilarious!
Each episode consists of its own legal case that attorney Woo is assigned to, which varies greatly from one to the next. I’d imagine it’s hard enough for any young attorney to navigate the legal world in a prestigious law firm like Hanbada, let alone someone with autism. Per IMdb, Eun-bin was initially hesitant to take on the role as she felt she could not accurately portray an autistic person and did not want to offend any autistic people or their families. Of course, I can’t speak for people on the autism spectrum, but she’s quite believable in portraying her daily struggles navigating the world in and out of the law.
I’m only five episodes in and the series just gets better and better. Every episode in Season was directed by Yu In-sik and written by female screenwriter Moon Ji-won. The show is funny, clever, heartwarming, and extraordinarily entertaining. I love each case challenges how Woo sees and responds to the world and provides opportunities for her to solve problems in her own special way. Glad there are 16 episodes in season 1 and each is at least an hour long.
The Last Of Us (HBO)
I’ve never been a gamer and I’m not into zombie horror stuff, so at first I wasn’t at all interested in this series.
This show has the most indelible opening ever in the first couple of episodes that establish the dire premise involving a deadly global pandemic. It’s especially eerie watching this as we just emerged out of Covid pandemic ourselves and aren’t quite out of the woods just yet.
How cool that they actually set the opening scene of the 2nd episode in my hometown Jakarta! It’s another devastating sequence featuring the Meryl Streep of Indonesia, the legendary Christine Hakim!! She better gets an Emmy nom for her chilling guest performance here.
So cool to see Indonesian acting legend Christine Hakim in the first 10 minutes of #TheLastOfUs ep 2 … this entire opening sequence gives me chills!!pic.twitter.com/WQHmXuzitg
— FlixChatter ♥️🎞️ (@FlixChatter) January 24, 2023
Speaking of Emmys, I also think Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett should be a shoo-in for their performances in episode 3, wowza!!
For a show about zombies, this heart-achingly moving episode shows just what it means to be human and what makes life worthwhile. It’s one of the best-directed and astonishingly-acted TV episodes I’ve ever seen. It’s something I still think about for days. I won’t spoil it for you in case you haven’t seen it, but let’s just say, no matter how dire the situation is in this world, life would still be worth living if you have someone to live for. Executive producer and Playstation game creator Neil Druckmann and the series’ showrunner Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) are simply phenomenal!
I wish ALL of the episodes are available all at once, but at the same time, there’s something thrilling about anticipating what’s going to happen next!
I have yet to binge on The White Lotus which I might do later this Spring, but my hubby and I might start on Apple TV’s Shrinking next.
Have you watched either one of these series yet? I’d love to hear what you think!
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