An episode dedicated for all war veterans

Thank you very much for Episode 6. Our grandfather never received the respect and honour he deserves as a WW2 veteran, he and many other veterans like him, were denied the benefits, financial support, respect, and honour when they continued on with their lives.Institutions, politicians, and governments, only paid lip service and delayed the bills that could have given them proper support. Yes, the bills eventually became laws but only after most of the veterans already passed away. They wouldn't even give posthumous awards, promotions, and/or recognition.Thank you very much for Episode 6. It may be dedicated for the Korean War veterans, but it resonates very powerfully with all war veterans in all countries, if not for them, majority of us wouldn't be enjoying the life we have today./bow/salute

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Five Stars

Episode 01 was great. It showed the things that happen in real life that most people choose to ignore. The things that happen that people turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to, like those bystanders who just watched someone else's boy be bitten to death by an adult.While this episode depicts physical child abuse, so there is evidence and all that. Don't be mistaken dear readers, there are a hundred ways of child abuse, especially from parents. Right from their HOMES where supposedly there should be love.It saddens me deeply that the majority of comments and reactions I've read about the premiere episode failed to see this problem and instead focused on the actors and shipping and the entertainment value.Episode 01 is loaded. But people missed it; or decided to ignore it because they can't accept it happens for real.Depression is real. Kids who grew up with destroyed dreams because the people who should have supported them in the first place are the very ones who destroyed them.How can you appreciate the rest of the story if you fail to understand and absorb the essence and message of Episode 01? Look at it deeper instead of focusing on the shallow things.

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a different kind of heart-wrenching ending

Series finale = a different kind of heart-wrenching ending. It was so painful.I just watched the ending part twice now, and I still can't imagine myself willing to let go of all those memories. It is what made who we are today. It defined our life. The decisions and directions we took. The love and relationships that gave us strength to push on despite the hardships in life.Memories are everything.Without those memories, then you become a totally different person. And for those people who still have their memories of you intact, it will be very hard for them when they see you. They will have to treat you as a person who got into an accident and had memory loss.Familiar with real-life stories where a person loss memories before they met their spouse/bf/gf? It's not the person that finds it hard, it is those who remembers. If they choose to tell you the memories you've lost, that's the only time it will be harder for the person. Like in those real-life cases where they're already married. But if you're just bf/gf, you can still end it and have a fresh start… if you want to.

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Realistic. Truly based on true-to-life break-ups.

You don't want to turn-off the TV, because without a distraction, you will only feel the immense pain.Heinrich's Accident Triangle- One high severity incident is always preceded by 29 minor incidents and 300 near-miss incideents.- The moment I got caught, my inner voice told me ‘Now is the chance. Run.’- Before my relationship fell apart, there were certainly the things that I had missed.1. face down cellphone us: a few years before the end, her phone is suddenly off-limits2. sudden plan us: always cancelling our plans, plans she even initiated and was excited about3. saying sorry like a habit us: she kept saying sorry when she didn't use to4. watching the same movie s/he already watched with the other person us: originally, she waits until we can watch the first time. this changed, she already watched it.5. secretive us: suddenly there are so many things about her that became secrets6. busier with work us: always busy with work7. checks your schedule us: checks on you, to make sure you are where you are, then suddenly is busy againI was suspecting, but I chose to give more to help save things, and maybe she'll change her mind.And everything else she said in monologue were the same for us.

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Five Stars

1. joining the "joke" but no one laughed - Scene: first meeting with the clientWell … been there. But I think many, if not all, have been in that situation even neurotypicals, probably more often with introverts in particular. This is not an autistic quirk per se but it just happens far more frequently with autistics than neurotypicals/introverts. And if you paid attention, Young Woo was observing them and trying to find a moment to join them and when she did …2. Court scene #1:2.a: Young Woo spotted the differences quickly.- Is it possible Young Woo spotted the differences that fast? Yes.- Is it possible Young Woo spotted the little differences? Yes.We are not talking about "spot-the-difference", this is about spotting the little things. An example, since I develop sites, if there is something I want to center, it bothers me a lot if it is. I can still see an object is not "centered", if it is off by a pixel or two it is not(!) centered at all! I hate that. Eventually, I found a way to "fool" myself so I no longer waste time trying to achieve true center. (note: 'perfectionism' is under OCD which is common in autistics)I used to be good at spot-the-difference games too but I'm not as fast as Young Woo in this episode; and being good at it is not an autistic-only skill. Hence I said it is about spotting the little things.2.b: Started arguing only to realized there's a flaw in her argument.After she spotted the little differences, she stood up and started her argument only to pause later because she realized the flaw and salvage the situation.I can't speak for other autistics on this one but it generally happens when we get 'excited', we react faster than our internal analysation. It is common for autistics to play different scenarios and branches in our mind but when we get 'excited' the risk of missing a scenario increases, like what happened to Attorney Woo. If she did not get excited at that moment, I have no doubt she would have seen in her mind her argument is not fool proof.3. Attorney Woo Young Woo: Looking straight into the other person's eyes is the most difficult thing in the world for someone with autism.YEAH! I was waiting for them to address this. Finally! However, it is important to remember (1) the degree this is affecting an autistic; and (2) how to cope with it.One way of coping it, and I think I talked about this before, is to "look between their eyebrows" (as her friend suggested) or the bridge of the nose. We appear looking at you in the eyes but we are not.There are different reasons why this is the most difficult thing for autistics, some reasons are (a) it's like opening your soul to the other people; the other way of that is (b) autistics 'feel' it is rude to look into the soul of another person; (c) it is painful; or (d) no reason at all, it's just is hard.Now, since this episode is about "detecting lies", it's important to note that detecting lies through the eyes will not work with autistics. Good luck. No matter how hard we try to look directly into your eyes, we will break contact. For some it is easier if one is wearing eyeglasses or sunglasses, for some it still won't make a difference (regardless if both of them are wearing sunglasses). It depends but yeah, we all struggle with it.Here's one way I can cope with it: I try to find the colour of your eyes. That distracts me though, so there is a chance I'll miss what in the world you were saying. Another method I use is watching your iris grow or shrink, again, it distracts me because I'm focusing on something else. Much better if I just look elsewhere and listen, that way I can "hear" you.4. Attorney Kwon used the word "handicap" and even claimed that he has no choice but to shoulder certain things. Even related it "volunteer work".Yeah, definitely insulting and common. This is not about being "politically correct", it is about the inaccuracy of that word, and how it is usually used. Even parents who accepted their child's autism would not be happy if you use that word.5. They talked about signs of lying.Careful when using these "signs" on autistics. More likely than not it won't work, you'll just get the wrong assessment.6. Woo Young Woo: "People with autism are easily fooled and are not able to lie."I'm not sure if the translation was correct but the part "are not able to lie" is not exactly true. Autistics are capable of lying, the difference is we hate it far more than neurotypicals so we avoid it at all costs. We just hate it.Here's an example: if we agreed on a certain time and you told me "I'm already here, I'll be arriving in 10 minutes"; and then you sent another similar message, I know you're lying and if I fail to control myself, I'll make a big fuss about it. Especially true if I know the route you're taking and the road situation.What makes it worse is you're late. We also hate lates. Again, we are capable of being late but we avoid it. This should give you a clue, if you know someone is autistic and they're regularly late, find out the reason instead of punishing them. A good example of this is episode 5 when Young Woo was not able to explain what "[bank] cassettes" are. It is not related to being late per se rather the reason behind it when you know an autistic wouldn't make that mistake. In Young Woo's case, it's unusual for her not to be able to answer that question considering her performance … it should've been a sign something was wrong.So yeah, neurotypicals, if you know or suspect someone is autistic, try to find the reason first. Actually, it doesn't only apply to autistics, it applies to everyone. If you know a person wouldn't do certain things, say being late or failing an exam, find out why first before reprimanding or punishing them.6.a: "I have to make a conscious effort at all times to not be fooled by lies."Definitely true. We explain it this way: we have a checklist of things in our mind. And Young Woo explained it this way (paraphrasing) "I keep forgetting it". The list is just so long, and we also have yet another list for other social stuff, that yeah, we forget some things and it is also draining us.6.b: "These stories help." "They help me understand you."Why I'm sharing. If it won't help me anymore, at least those autistic kids will benefit from it, maybe when they get older there will be less discrimination, prejudice, and stigma because we shared our own stories.And this is why I see "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" as an autism advocacy, as a story about autistics (as a representation) in a world not made for them instead of any particular autistic (representation).7. Asking the first question that bothered her with no brakes.It bothered her if Joon Ho likes her so the first question she asked in that scene was that … no brakes!Yeah, that's us. But it's something that we can learn not to do.8. Young Woo repeating the information about how to detect lies through movements while walking.This is true as well. Not every autistic do it similarly, reciting it to oneself, it can happen silently in our minds.9. Young Woo finding it very hard to go with the lie.Scenes: In the office of the client and at court.As I've mentioned earlier, we are capable of lying--especially if there is an acceptable logic behind it--but we hate it and avoid it at all costs. In Young Woo's case, she found an acceptable reason, she wanted to win the case but she was never okay with it. Unfortunately, in this particular case, the acceptable reason she found was her being used only. Her client understood her and knew how he can get her to side with him--like faking his accident and setting up an actor [who we don't even know if is really his employee]--which I think Young Woo also realised.This is the other 'danger' or 'disadvantage' of disclosing our condition. If someone understands how a mind of an autistic works, they can use it against us.10. Young Woo being honest about what she thinks of her friend.Ahh this. Autistics are commonly misunderstood on this one. People think we don't have emotions, empathy, sympathy, are self-centered, and so on. But as I've explained time and again, we process and express things differently.This scene at the cafeteria is one good example of it. Her college friend and colleague never thought of Young Woo other than a classmate and a colleague, she was even annoyed at her at times. She probably assumed Young Woo did not appreciate her helping her (defending her from bullies; opening bottle caps, etc.)This is where autistics shine. We DO pay attention and remember, and we hold dear those good things about a person especially if it was to help us or help others. We don't say it. You usually will not see us express it. But once we do express it, once you ask us about it, you'll hear it in a way no other people in your life has ever expressed something to you. In Young Woo's case, her very descriptive metaphors and she even expounded it very beautifully.Trust me. We DO pay attention and we remember.

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Reborn Rich ending explained (SPOILER of course)

The title “Reborn Rich” was not about Yoon Hyun Woo being re-born as Jin Do Joon. It was about Jin Do Joon being reborn as Yoon Hyun Woo and becoming rich!1. Yoon Hyun Woo did not die, he was in a coma for 1 week. He can not be reborn at all.2. When Jin Do Joon died in the 2nd car crash, Jin Do Joon was reborn as Yoon Hyun Woo. Who later became rich.3. The “Timeline 2” did not exist. As Yoon Hyun Woo said so himself that it was not time travel, nor possession. It was a repentance for both Jin Do Joon and Yoon Hyun Woo.Everything else happened, other than the small changes (he was just recalling a previous life he should not be able to recall at all, that's why there were small changes), exactly the way it did.“Reborn Rich” also meant being a new person, rich with values.“Reborn Rich” also meant being reborn as a new person after his brush with death, and coming out of the coma (was “reborn”).Re: Repentance1. As Yoon Hyun Woo, this is his repentance because he chose money over reporting the murder.2. As Jin Do Joon, it is his repentance because he did do things he shouldn't, he actually became his grandfather in the end.When Jin Do Joon was reborn as Yoon Hyun Woo, it was his chance to repent as Jin Do Joon (previous life) and as Yoon Hyun Woo (present life).In the end, Yoon Hyun Woo became part of Miracle, the company he founded in his previous life as Jin Do Joon.That was one heck of a story twist. Totally unexpected.

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Five Stars

I like how they turned the story into literal vampire + symbolic vampire.The FL is a symbolic vampire. A type of vampire that sucks the love and fun around her and from other people. Focused only on making ends meet, nothing wrong there, but is dead inside. She thinks she is living her life, but the truth is, she's an “undead”.Meanwhile, the ML, a literal vampire (or half-vampire in the present day), is a vampire who wants to become a human. Who wants to feel love. Who wants to know what it means to live as a human and enjoy life to its fullest.Two opposites meet each other. Nothing in common with them. They should repel each other… instead, they slowly attract each other.The real vampire is making the symbolic vampire realise what she is missing. And the symbolic vampire is only making the real vampire firm in his decision to become a human.Why? The clue is the fact that he can see his reflection only in her eyes. Because that is not only literal, it is also symbolic. He can see himself in her. The kind of life the FL is living is the life the ML had before he fell in love.That is… just living for the sake of living.Exactly what the FL is doing. Living for the sake of living.Seeing himself in her, with the kind of life she is living, is only strengthening his resolve to become a human. He is done with being a vampire. He wants to find meaning. He wants to enjoy life to its fullest. Who cares if he dies? What is immortality if there is no meaning and purpose to it? He wants to love and be loved “until death do us part”.And here's the FL, getting curious why a vampire wants to become a human. Why love is so important for this vampire. Because, for her, immortality is a gift, not a curse. For her, she can live a carefree life. She doesn't have to worry about paying bills, or what to eat tomorrow, or where to live next month. She can even make a fortune.But… a vampire, with immortality and no worries in life, wants to become a human because of love? Knowing he will die as a human? Why indeed?---While for some the story is cliché, I enjoy stories that add symbolism or deeper meanings to each character, like as I've mentioned, the ML can see his reflection in the FL's eyes is both literal and symbolic. Or, how the FL is a symbolic vampire; and how the two of them are attracting each other instead of repelling.Good job. Love it!

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Premiere week

That was a very nice move from Dr. Cha (father). He quickly understood that the Trauma Center was Master Kim's project, and Director Park was simply a partner who happened to have the same dream as Master Kim.Since there are two departments, the main hospital and the trauma center, Dr. Cha found a way how to corner Master Kim… through his principles.1. How can Master Kim handle both the main hospital and the trauma center? The reason they are head-hunting for another excellent doctor was exactly for that reason… they need personnel, highly experienced personnel.2. He knew he can request to keep Master Kim out of the trauma center. Master kim can keep his role in the main hospital, while keeping his dream of a trauma center for everyone running.Master Kim can not decline, after all, was it not his motto that the lives and care of patients is their utmost priority?3. Even Director Park would be hard-pressed in that situation. No one wants to transfer to their hospital. Dr. Cha is the only one who got interested… albeit… with a lot of selfish interests. And Dr. Cha is like a clone of Master Kim when it comes to skills and knowledge.We are surely in for on mega roller coster of a season!

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Farewell…

Wow. That was a brilliant way to close everything and start anew. Well done 1FL.Even me, I did not catch she was saying goodbye. Though, I agree with one of the employees, something was off with her.Good editing. They were able to show that she is leaving her apartment, but made it appear she was only doing so because she was transferred elsewhere. They also had a scene with her father wherein she said she did not mean that they go back to their home province.I love the contrast in the 1FL's change of character.In last week's episodes, 11 and 12, they revealed how the 1FL is a deep person, and uses the surrounding objects to send across the words she can not say. For example, the castle. And when the 1FL told the 1ML that she is feeling cold and if he can buy her a warm drink.The 1ML, and I, knew she was going to leave.In episode 14, it's the same method, but from a different approach.You see, before she was coming from a painful, sad, experience. A person dwelling in the past (her father, her brother). She expressed herself in deep metaphors from that “negative” experiences.This time, she had a changed of personality. She did the same method, using things around her, metaphors, and other deep philosophical conversations that seem to be random. But, she's happy. She is content. She became one with her reality. There were no longer any burden on her shoulders. The dark cloud hovering over her disappeared.Because of this change, her secretly closing up things and saying goodbye went unnoticed. The characters, and the audience, saw the positive changes in her instead of seeing the signs that she was wrapping her relationships (work and otherwise).“This time, I will see you off.” Definitely a clue. But even me missed that.It was because of this change in her that made her say 'hopeful' things. For example, “you always call even when I don't ask you to”, which sends the message that, “hey, just call whenever you want”. Or, when she said, “you always come even when I don't want you to”, which was like saying, “you know where to find me”.If she was the old 1FL, she would've said something about “destroying the castle” or “I'm feeling cold, could you buy me a warm drink”. But since she's more positive, she also said positive and hopeful words.Though in reality, what she actually meant was… listen to this song (you'll probably cry, but you'll understand what the 1FL did), it captures the 1FL's positive 'Farewell': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlB1LuVtOsU

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Best episode! Full of lessons about relationships and forgiveness.

As expected, 1FL wants to end things her way, on her own terms. That's what she's been doing her entire life, she's in control. However, as was shown in last week's episodes, she's in a journey. Remember when she talked to her father?That “talk” was continued in episode 13, this time with her mother. About forgiveness. This is what she lacks, she doesn't know how to forgive.You see, forgiveness is not only about the other person, in fact, forgiving someone is THE SECOND STEP. The FIRST STEP in forgiveness is forgiving yourself!She can not forgive her father. She can not forgive the people who wronged her. It's all because she doesn't know how to forgive herself. She was probably blaming her 'luck' in life… her father cheated which caused the death of her brother, and everything went downhill with their family. She did not finish her studies, which led to being stuck where she is at despite being the star employee every single time.Recall the scene in episode 13 when she blurted out against 1ML? “Why are you so indifferent?”, “Why are you not asking anything?” It was unnerving her.All her life, she learned and saw everyone to be the same. They judge other people. They look down on other people. But, here's the 1ML, silently following her, doing nothing. It unnerved her. The 1ML doesn't match anything she learned in her life. The 1ML is no longer hesitating (ep1 and 2). He changed. It is making her uncomfortable.Then the scene when 1ML told her “I will keep coming back”, “I will see you again tomorrow”. Those words, those sincerity from him, crushed half of her wall.It was also brilliant for the 1ML to have waited in a different location. The 1ML really did change. He knew the 1FL will look for him that night, and he knew it is better for the 1FL not to see him.He accomplished two things with that strategy:1. He gave her space. If she saw him, she will rebuild her wall. She will get angry.2. It gave her some semblance of stability. The thought in her mind is likely something like this: “Ahh, he's just the same, as any other guy. All words. He probably realised it's not worth it.”The final scene. The 1ML showed up with an umbrella when 1FL was completely down. When the 1FL's walls are all finally destroyed.At that moment, the 1FL realised how alone she truly is. How she's the one making her life miserable. How she's keeping everyone at arms length because of the hurt she felt when she discovered their father cheated (which also caused the death of her brother).She was not able to truly move on from that moment of her life, when everything came crashing down around her. No one wants her anymore. The people she expected to be with her, are gone.For example, the 2ML. She was still hoping that the 2ML would have a changed of heart. But, nope, 2ML even called her a “b*tch”. Now, that's the typical guy. A guy you definitely do not want to be in a relationship with.Then 1ML showed up, with an umbrella.That sent a thousand messages to her.---Let's talk about the 1ML.When the 1ML finally opened up to 2FL, and he cried? Some are probably asking, “why”. Simple. He was hurt too. His hurt is probably not because “he broke up with someone he loves”. His hurt is more likely coming from the fact that he finally admitted he was wrong, and realised how bad, bordering evil, the things he did to such a wonderful person as the 2FL.It also broke his principles. Maybe he told himself all the years of his life that he'll be a good person. People looked down on him at school because he was not as rich as any of his classmates. He burned his eyebrows just be the top of their class. His mother supported him.Person like that grow up with principles that they hold dear. But, once they realise they broke their own principles, principles they held for dear life, it damn hurts deeply. Think of it this way. For a person like him, it was as if he stabbed a knife to his heart. It feels like, “I'm no different from those people who looked down on us”.But here's the thing about the 1ML. FORGIVENESS again!What? Forgiveness? Who did he forgive?The answer is himself.The first step in forgiveness is forgiving yourself. But what is the first step to forgiving yourself? Admission and embracing the reality.That's what the 1ML did.The result? He freed himself from the burden, as well as, he freed the 2FL.The 2FL finally stopped. The 2FL finally accepted the reality. She knew and she understood that “this is it, it is over, not a chance”.---Let's talk about the 2FL for a bit.Why did she smile before she left?Most would probably think she was just trying to save face, after all, she was dumped. She's wealthy. Her family is powerful. Her father is scary. Her family's entire wealth will go to her one day. But, here's a guy, a poor guy at that, who she gave herself over, and will give the world for him…He dumped her, and was very sincere about it.Of course, who wouldn't want to smile after that and pretend to be strong, right?But, you see, she did not smile because of that. That is not her character. She smiled because she also felt the burden lifted.Seriously, who can smile when they were dumped? Even if you want to save face, you only do that when there are people around. You do not need to save face in front of the person who broke up with you, especially when it's just the two of you. You just cry, and have one last final attempt of making them change their mind. Or, to at least make them feel really bad. You'll take their pity, if that is what it takes to be with them.But to smile?So, why did she throw a rock on the car she gave him?That was her way of closing everything. Her way of cutting herself from that relationship.That car represents her desire to win him, which failed. By throwing a rock against it, she symbolically released herself from it. That is the acceptance and embracing on her part. Which led to her forgiving herself. Which of course will lead to moving on.---Last, but not the least, the 2ML.If he only listened to 1FL that they will talk after work, they probably still had a chance to continue their relationship.Again, the 1FL is a broken person, and she's afraid to face that reality. (That's why she destroys the castles she built, instead of letting others do it.)Her plan, no doubt, was to keep the 1ML away. Unfortunately, things got complicated because the 2ML called her phone, and the 2ML created a drama when she told him “later”.You know, I wouldn't be surprised if the 1FL chose the 2ML at that point. Thus, when they had their final confrontation, and the 2ML told her she's a "bitch”, that completely destroyed all her walls. Which led to her finally facing her reality and embracing it.Why did I say that? Because, being with the 1ML is making her feel a cheater, like the father she hates. Her plan was for the 1ML to stop pursuing her, not for the 2ML.But, it's better in the long run. Why? Because the 1FL now knows the true character of the 2ML.The 2ML clearly have deep issues. When he felt betrayed, he lashed out without any control. Somewhere in his history, he witnessed something very bad, and it brought back those memories.He even said, “I shouldn't have done it”. That was because the 2ML is having an internal battle. He was sorry, I do believe it was genuine. But, whatever his dark past was, it is having a battle with his positive/hopeful side.But, when the 1FL still said it is true, that she did sleep with someone else, the 2ML lost it and said the worst thing that can be said.Trust me, the 2ML will be tortured by what he said later on (at least in real life). I also suspect he knew the 1FL was faking it. Because the 1FL isn't that type of person. She held herself high despite people around her whispering behind her back. And then, just like that, she slept with someone? Not just someone, but a co-employee?That definitely is super out-of-character. People who truly know the 1FL would suspect it was all a ruse for something. I actually suspect the 2FL also suspected it was fake.For the 2ML, when the 1FL continued with her lie, it came across to him as “she wants to break up with me, but can not do it the NICE way”. So, he lost himself and said, "bitch”.Now, let's see what episode 14 is about. ^_^

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An unexpected, yet epic ending (SPOILER ALERT)

In any TV series, be it Korean or Western or any other region, it is rare to see an ending that blows you up. This is one such ending, and you better watch the entire series before watching this episode.SPOILERS FROM HEREONThe first 40 minutes was dedicated to the very sad and cruel fate of the lead female character. It focused on the reality of life that many of us refuse to accept. How painful it really is, no matter how much we deny it.Yet, at the same time, it showed us how precious life and relationships are. Why we should value each other, even if we are strangers.The next part was a very beautiful and touching answer to the question, "Why is the lead female character seeing the dead alive for one last time?"And the answer was simple. They were all connected to her. Through the office/factory explosion which happened on her date of birth. Her mother used to work there, and was pregnant. She was born on the day her mother died, after helping a little boy. That little boy? He is the lead male character she fell in love with.And every other people who went out of their way to help others during the fire accident, the lead female character later helped with their final requests.Not exactly 21 of them. There were seven people directly connected to that tragedy. She helped them back, without her knowing, at their time of need. But there were 21 people who died because of that tragedy, and one was her mother, who was pregnant with her.And if we think about it, the last soul she helped was her own father. A very painful and cruel way for everything to come full circle.The last part of the episode? This was where it picked up and ended the episode in a high note.It focused back on the male and female lead characters. How they have cross paths before, but haven't had any interaction. That no matter what may have happened in the past, no matter what happens in the present, we forge on and live. We continue with life, and be happy with what we do.The male lead character, saving lives as a doctor. The female lead character as a funeral director, helping those left behind to bid farewell to their dearly departed.

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Five Stars

1. Young Woo throwing back the argument of the Judge back at him.Yeah, why not? It's logical. What's wrong with it? But in the neurotypical world, there are 'social rules' to follow and what Young Woo did is not acceptable, it is considered rude and especially disrespectful for a judge who is higher in rank.But again, autistics think more on the logical side and doesn't understand 'social rules' the way neurotypicals do. For neurotypicals, they understand these 'social rules' naturally, for autistics, we don't. You have to tell us, then you have to explain it logically, then we will add it in our already long list of "Do's and Dont's" that is draining us.2. Letting Attorney Choi speak first.Scene: court trialThis one is not easy to generalize so I'll just react if I'm on their shoes.Even though Young Woo and I are different, I would not be able to take advantage of that opportunity wherein the jury is feeling sympathetic over the witness. My approach and thinking will still be logical which always appear harsh for neurotypicals. It's all about "x + y", especially in an argument (like debates and courtrooms).3. "Why the long face?" And Young Woo checked her face.3.a: "Literalism".This is one thing I've been waiting for them to touch on, "literalism". They could've done this in a lot of ways but they chose something funny. That is good, I applaud them for their choice on how to portray this.In other shows I've seen, literalism was portrayed on a more serious scenario, either by telling an autistic to "wait here" when in fact the neurotypical girl left him and he did not realize he was dumped. Or, the autistic was confused because s/he can not tell if they should take it literally or not.EAW chose a more lighthearted way to portray literalism. I like that. However, I hope they touch on it again in a more serious occassion because this is one of the most misunderstood aspect of an autistic and if one is not careful--especially if they already know the person is autistic--it might not turn out well.For example, if one tells an autistic to "wait here", there are autistics who will wait for as long as they can. They may ask someone to buy food so they can stay there and wait because they were told to "wait here". THEN! When the person who told them to "wait here" sees them, they'll blame the autistic person for being stupid for taking it literally.3.b: It is not easy for us to understand idiomatic expressions.Like in this example, "long face", Young Woo did not understand the idiom.From my own experience, in the Philippine elementary education system (at least back in the 80s), it is part of our curicculum to teach kids about idioms. So I understand many of the basic and common idiomatic expressions, like "fall in line" (which is used a lot in schools).There are also idioms that makes sense so even if it is new to me, I can deduce some meaning to it and react accordingly. But there are idiomatic expressions I have to ask about or research to understand what it means, some examples are:- break a leg -- for the longest time, I never understood this. If used in a context, I understood it as "go change things" or "go prove to them you are right". But what it actually means, and I found this out only today, is "good luck".- easy does it -- what it means to me is "easy, right?" Just today, I found out it means "slow down".- give the benefit of the doubt -- what it means to me is literally that, give a person a benefit of the doubt. Meaning, give them an opportunity maybe they are right or they are telling the truth. Give them a chance. But I learned today, it means to "trust what someone says". That's way over my head. "Trust" is such a huge word. The idiom "give the benefit of the doubt" does not fit "trust" in any way as far as I'm concerned. I'm just giving you a chance.- "a perfect storm" -- is as literal as it gets. I have no idea this is used as an idiom until today which means "the worst scenario".Because I also love to read fiction novels, I had the chance to get exposed to these idiomatic expressions and many other nuances of the English language. Whenever I encountered something I don't understand, I keep re-reading the sentence or the paragraph for the context, deduce some meaning, then I go check a dictionary or thesaurus to confirm if I understood it correctly; today, I just go online and search for it to confirm.Here is another example: In the UK, their greeting is "how do you do" and you reply with "how do you do". For an autistic, the reaction (verbally or in thought) is "how do I do what?" This was portrayed in the film "A Brilliant Young Mind" (a.k.a. "X + Y").Such expressions are confusing. My reaction is the same and it took me a long time to get used to it. Still, there are other expressions that I have to pause because I have to figure out what it means.My personal pet peeve is this: apologizing when someone mentions a relative or friend of theirs passed away. I will never understand this 'social rule'. It simply does not make sense especially if the person who passed away was years ago. But it is a 'social rule' so it is in my checklist.This is why it is draining for us, we have to keep a list in our mind of 'social rules' and react accordingly when encountered, otherwise people will whisper "rude", "what's wrong with him/her", etc. For me, the more appropriate reaction is either silence or tapping them on their back or ask them "are you okay" but apparently those are rude.It's similar with "condolence" and "sorry for your loss". I just say "thank you" if they're telling it to me. I just say "condolence" if someone I know is greiving. Does it mean I am not sincere? Not at all. It just does not make any sense but since it is a 'social rule' …However, since I've been watching K-dramas and recently there were a lot of mourning scenes, I think I found what that I can appreciate and agree with: the Korean way of mourning. I have not fully looked into it but the Korean way makes far more sense than "condolence" or "sorry for your loss". You visit them, pay your respects, if you are relative or very close you do 2.5 bows. If a colleague, you do a head bow. Then you eat the food they offer not because it is part of the "ritual" but because it is part of paying your respects. It is like the last meal you'll share together.That makes far more sense to me.4. Young Woo: "I don't like department stores"Reasons: Too crowded -- it is draining for us. Too much noise -- same thing, draining. Confusing -- this one is hard to explain but I've seen other autistics use this as an explanation why they avoid malls and department stores. For me, since reading maps is my first fascination, I learned to orient myself and creating personal landmarks. I also learned to visualize an area from a top view, it may not be exact but I can see the layout. I am __not__ saying I don't get lost, there was one time that I did and to this day I still can't figure out what happened that night. (And I was with friends not familiar with the area.) Too many things to 'fix' -- me, I just learned to distract myself, and I tell myself I don't get paid to make things perfect. Unfamiliar - she did not grow up visiting such places so she has not found a routine and ways to cope with everything that is happening in such places. If a place is unfamiliar, we can get overwhelmed. This is one reason why many, not all, autistics are afraid to travel alone. We can but first need to prepare for it. To find order to things. To have a checklist in our mind. We go through with it again and again. In my case, I check online maps, familiarize myself with the town or city's layout, where the police stations are, the malls, foods, and so on. When I visit an unfamiliar establishment like malls or hotels, I pay attention to fire exits, where the doors are, staircases, except the restrooms (you can just ask for that one without anyone calling you weird (I once asked where the fire exits are and I got looks and laughter from people around me, so I stopped asking about it)). "No touching" policy, she more sensitive to it than usual because she's already trying to calm herself and it's only adding more pressure5. Young Woo's suspected mother may be in the spectrum too.Scene: she fixed the shoe displayIt looks like they are going to touch on the most common understanding that autism is genetics and can be passed on.Besides that, this is also interesting. If her [suspected] mother is in the spectrum too, so far it appears that her mother is masking her autism so well like autistic women in real life.6. RomanceIt is good that they are not pushing it. I think the message here is that it should be taken slowly to let an autistic find his/her way to it and make them comfortable. If it is rushed, the tendency is to take flight.Autistic women are the best ones to explain this.

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