Queen Mantis Episode 1 Review: A Thrilling Start to This Drama

In this crime thriller K-drama, a cop must take the help of his serial killer mother to nab a copycat murderer who is wreaking havoc. Through this, they confront their own worst fears and the disintegration of their relationship.

Queen Mantis Episode 1 has a runtime of 60 minutes.

The series is based on the French thriller miniseries La Mante by Alice Chegaray-Breugnot, Nicolas Jean, Grégoire Demaison and Laurent Vivier, and is expected to have 8 episodes.

Queen Mantis Episode 1 Recap

The episode opens with a murder taking place that leaves the authorities in a frenzy. The body reminds Choi Joong-ho of serial killer Jung Yi-shin because the details match that past crime scene to a T. In a flashback, we see Yi-shin being dubbed the Mantis for killing only violent men against women or children in some capacity, and she is eventually nabbed. Meanwhile, Cha Soo-yeol is reprimanded for shooting a woman who was trying to kill her child, and he decides to resign, which his superior doesn’t agree to.

In the present, Yi-shin is in prison, living the good life which she got in exchange for her confession. Joong-ho meets Yi-shin again to nab the perpetrator, and she puts forth another condition in exchange for her compliance – she will communicate only through Soo-yeol, and she wants to meet him outside of prison. Soo-yeol, obviously, isn’t interested in speaking to her, but the thought of people getting mercilessly murdered eventually changes his mind.

She eventually ends up getting everything that she wanted and finally meets Soo-yeol; however, it’s a very awkward reunion between the two. On Soo-yeol’s insistence, she goes through the files and discusses how she used to commit her crimes, which leaves her son flabbergasted and disturbed. Eventually, Yi-shin asks to visit the crime scene to get a better feel of everything, which Joong-ho agrees to look into. The interaction leaves Soo-yeol a bit shaken, but he warns his senior that Yi-shin is manipulating the situation to get what she wants.

He later shares his ordeal with Jung Hyun-nam, who is immediately concerned with his decisions and asks him not to go down this path. Meanwhile, as the police scramble to get to the bottom of what is happening and try to get permission to talk to Yi-shin, they meet Soo-yeol, who will be joining their task force. They go through the crime scene photos together and try to decipher the clues, and Yoo-seul proves to be quite insightful.

The next day, Yoo-seul and Joong-ho take Yi-shin to the crime scene, and it’s an eerie situation as she takes in everything and smiles, even. As she recounts tearing someone’s head off with her hands, the others can’t help but be absolutely mortified and disgusted. However, she does tell them about only one paper that distributed the crime scene photos from 25 years ago and leaves it at that. The police figure out that the perpetrator was definitely at the court or investigative records.

In the last moment, Soo-yeul and Yi-shin’s eyes meet just as they are about to head out, and it becomes apparent that she has a dangerous grip on her.

Queen Mantis Episode 1 Review

First and foremost, Go Hyun-jung is fantastic as Yi-shin and a force to reckon with. She’s so eerie that it will leave you feeling some sort of way at every turn. The series also does a good job at bringing the anticipation and thrill of the familial situation, along with the disturbing murders, and Yi-shin’s reactions make it all the more insane. This is just the introductory episode, but I am already hooked and definitely expecting to open the baggage more.

Also Read: Queen Mantis Season 1 Review