S1E68: Extraordinary Attorney Woo and the nuances of stories about minority groups

Sep 2, 2022

27:04

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Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times examines the ins and outs of pop culture in the Asian entertainment and Hollywood scene.

In this episode of #PopVultures, Jan Lee talks about the most popular K-drama of late -Extraordinary Attorney Woo - and the well-received local Channel 8 series Your World In Mine. Both shows feature protagonists who are neurodivergent.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo, fronted by actress Park Eun-bin, tells the tale of a rookie lawyer on the autism spectrum while Your World In Mine depicts an adult with an intellectual disability.

While these portrayals have been hailed for its heartwarming stories and centering the experiences of those usually sidelined in mainstream narratives, there are some who have doubts about whether these series are truly helpful to those in the neurodivergent community.

Jan discusses why both shows have become such hits and the limitations of media in portraying autism and intellectual disabilities.

Highlights (tap/click above):

0:15 Introducing topic: Extraordinary Attorney Woo and minority groups

5:12 Your World In Mine and Richie Koh's performance

7:18 Do such portrayals represent people on the autism spectrum well?

12:30 Reactions from people on the autism spectrum

18:42 Jan's thoughts

Produced by: Jan Lee (janlee@sph.com.sg) and Penelope Lee

Edited by: Penelope Lee

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Channel: https://str.sg/JWad

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