The law is a weapon, not a fact. Episode 5 review

[I'll keep it a buck fifty and spoiler-free ish.]Episode 5 of EAO begins like the past 4 episodes. The client, case and issue that needs to be resolved are introduced first; this provides context for the audience and also shows how this law drama tackles all kinds of cases. (A typical, recurring theme in kdramas or any show featuring legal jargon and lawyers, is criminal law and a focus on corruption and/or criminal activity. However, EAO has shown a broad range of cases from civil law, property law and criminal.) The case for Episode 5 discusses copyright and patent issues between two rival companies in the ATM business. This alone appears quite mundane but the show tackles it well and all of the specifics are discussed in a general detail for the audience to follow along on. What I liked about this Episode was that it truly brought out how ostracised Youngwoo was in the presence of people who wouldn't be (or didn't have the time or luxury to be) patient with her. Attorney Kwon is assigned to this case with Youngwoo and although a supporting character, his interactions in the first ten minutes of the drama make clear his feelings towards Youngwoo due to her autism and viewing her as a "competition" because of how successful she was in the previous case.This is something to expect since we've seen prior interactions where Youngwoo is frowned and looked down open but this Episode is the hammer in the nail for it because of Youngwoo's actions. She tries to hand over her business card to the client like Kwon but ends up sliding it awkwardly over the table. When the client gives out mulberry juice, she struggles to open the cap and Joon Ho does it for her. Admittedly, the case for this episode is handled quickly given the true intentions of the client, and while it seems like a very "boring" case, I think the takeaway from this episode was on a much larger scale. Youngwoo learns more about herself, all while making mistakes along the way. This case served as a way to strength her ideals and to also give an insight into how difficult the truth can be. Attorney Kwon remains his (discriminatory) self, calling autism a disability and then a handicap. (You should always confer with someone who has ASD and ask them how they would like their diagnosis to be referred to. A 'disability' might fit one person, or insult another. A 'handicap' is outright discriminatory because it reinforces the stereotype that autistic people are incompetent, inferior and weak.)What is most important about this episode is that it furthers the direction of the plot-ish. Joon Ho is startled by Youngwoo's outright proclamation, making him question his relationship with her, even though it is in it's infancy. The law is a weapon in court and Youngwoo realises this, that her client cannot always be innocent. Soo-yeon gets to know what Youngwoo thinks of her. And the side plot starts to flourish.The side plot being Tae Soo Mi, a supporting character who is the head of the rival law firm Taesun, and her screentime only really comes through towards the end of the episodes. We're slowly getting piece things together but I can only hope this show makes it work. Don't let us down, Yoo In Shik!

Read More