The Weekly Croissant: The Best Non-English Language Shows On Netflix Pt. 1
And Why Art Hoes Love a Subtitle
If, like me, you spent the vast majority of the pandemic devouring hours and hours of Netflix, you may be feeling that you have watched everything worth watching on the platform. I do encourage the exploration of Hulu, especially if you’re watching Sally Rooney adaptations. BUT, before you pay those extra subscriptions, have you delved into the non-English speaking shows?
I have fallen in love with so many shows in this category that I will have to make this into a series, but I want to start with one that I have been bullying all of my friends and family to watch for the past month: Extraordinary Attorney Woo. I want to say that every person I have forced into watching this absolutely loves it, including my husband who is a bit wary of subtitles. OK, my bestie Claire is moving slowly through but claims to be enjoying.
This is a South Korean legal drama that centers around a brilliant attorney (Woo), who has Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has grown up with her father who left his own dreams of becoming a lawyer behind to raise her alone while running a Gimbap shop.
This show combines the fun of a legal drama (cases are solved in each episode, some more serious than others), with some of the most lovable characters and relationships I have seen in a long time. One of my favorite recurring themes is Woo-Young Woo’s obsession with Whales, pictured above.
You know when you love and care about characters so much that you think about them throughout the day, and wonder what they are up to when the series ends?
There is always an extra reward in watching shows or movies made in other countries, as they give you a real sense of place and culture. Now I’d really like to travel to South Korea, especially if I get to meet some of these characters, who, in my mind, are absolutely real people.
Portrayal of Autism
There has been some critical discussion of this show and its portrayal of Autism, I found a great article about that here.
The conclusion that author Geoffrey Bunting comes to is this:
Perhaps I’m an optimist, but I do believe some people will watch Extraordinary Attorney Woo and begin to think differently about autism and disability.
But the facade is brittle; it’s easy to peel away. Once you do, you understand how much the ableism that pervades Korea — and, let’s get real, that pervades the world — has seeped into the making of Extraordinary Attorney Woo. In invoking stereotypes and creating a palatable, unrealistic disabled narrative, not only does the show fail to truly inform about autism beyond legal jargon or to address a status quo responsible for so much discrimination, but it robs what could have been one of the most important disabled characters in media of her voice and agency. It’s a drama — it’s entertaining. In that, it has power. For some, that’s enough and justified because autism in Korea is treated so badly. But, if things are worse in Korea, shouldn’t we be asking more of representation like this rather than accepting less?
I’m happy for those that relate to the show. I think, on an individual basis, that’s important. But it’s just as vital to remember that this is but one of many very narrow — often identical — windows into autism in media, and that we’re not the monolith shows like “Weird Lawyer Woo Young-woo” make us out to be.
I need to acknowledge that I don’t have a personal perspective on living with Autism, so I will continue to read and learn from those that do. However, I do think that this criticism ignores some of the efforts of the show to show a diverse Autism spectrum. For example, in one episode, Attorney Woo defends a young man with Autism, which presents very differently from hers, and who is accused of killing his brother.
Of course, this is television, and is primarily meant to be entertainment, so there is a lot of wishful thinking in the plot lines and character portrayals. But I think those kind of fantastical representations are important in reaching the general public on a large scale. The show certainly has me thinking a lot more about Autism, ableism, and disability rights than I have in a long time.
I also feel that we need to show some support for media that attempts to do something risky and new, even when they don’t do it one hundred percent correctly. There is no way that a show like this could be made without making some mistakes and/or controversial decisions, and art that doesn’t push boundaries means just another show that broadens nobody’s horizons. It is much harder to make something interesting than it is to criticize it, which is why people so often make art that is not even worth discussing.
Feed My Addiction
What are you watching lately that has blown your mind and heart wide open? Have you watched Extraordinary Attorney Woo? What Did You Think?
The last show I watched with subtitles was the Bodyguard because I had trouble understanding the English accents. I am deeply in need of some culture!
We enjoyed Atypical, which is a solid sitcom which dealt with the spectrum. We also watched Love on the Spectrum, which seemed to exploit the condition for entertainment purposes. Our current favorite show is The Patient on Hulu, and Inkmaster is our current guilty pleasure.
My Rachel Baiman song of the week is Never Tire of the Road, which has been going through my head since listening to it during my hike yesterday.
I want to check this one out! And yes, representation is tricky. It's usually better when storytellers represent communities they're part of themselves, but that's not sustainable as a rule—it makes creators with marginalized identities solely responsible for representing themselves and absolves other creators of developing the empathy and understanding necessary to represent anyone but their own identities.
I watched the new A League of Their Own tv show recently and was pretty blown away at how they told stories about being queer, being assigned female, being an immigrant, and being black that were deeply empathetic, complicated, and centered on joy. Most of the main characters are marginalized in at least one of those ways, and many in multiple ways. And because they're main characters they get to be imperfect, and sometimes deeply problematic, which is a real tightrope walk when you're representing marginalized identities.
Then there's the new lord of the rings show, which endeavors to have racially diverse casting... At its best it's lazy and boring and at its worst it's trying to make allegories for real world issues that the writers are too clumsy to pull off. Which is a shame because I love LOTR want to defend it from all the bad faith racists who are complaining about black elves or whatever.
I'm curious about the writers' room for Woo. Are their autistic writers there? Do they consult autistic folks? Either way I'm interested in checking out the show and will put it on the list.
Pleasure visiting your patisserie!