Queen Mantis Episode 8 Review: A Rather Disturbing End to a Melancholic Tale

In the last episode, Yi-shin is asked to meet A-ran to save Jung-yeon’s life. Su-yeol finds himself worried for her mother, while she is ready to do anything to make her son happy.

Queen Mantis Episode 8 has a runtime of 60 minutes.

The series has 8 episodes, and will air on SBS from September 5, 2025, to September 27, 2025.

Queen Mantis Episode 8 Recap

The episode opens with Su-yeol and Yi-shin making their way to A-ran while Na-hee’s team go over their heads and tries to capture her before the others. Thankfully, Su-yeol sees that Jung-yeon is safe, and Yi-shin instructs him to take the shot the moment the exchange is done. Thankfully, the exchange goes by without a hitch, and A-ran immediately tries to shoot at the cops, which they retaliate with in kind.

As the search starts for the women, Jung-yeon asks Su-yeol to save his mother because she’s in danger. Elsewhere, A-ran fangirls over Yi-shin, asking her to take responsibility for her creation. Yi-shin refuses, and A-ran insists that she must love her since she considers her to be her mother. In a rather odd twist, A-ran kisses Yi-shin, confessing her love, but Yi-shin insists that she should kill her now before the police arrive.

Just as she’s about to, though, Yi-shin gets out of the cuffs with the help of the keys Su-yeol gave her and stabs A-ran repeatedly. She still begs her not to leave her and asks her to join hands with her. Yi-shin, however, feels nothing but disgust. Meanwhile, Su-yeol realises where the two can be and follows the trail, but ultimately doesn’t reach them on time. As Yi-shin disappears, Su-yeol is ambushed by A-ran, who, about to shoot him, is stopped by Na-hee. The latter gets stabbed instead, and Na-hee shoots A-ran dead.

Trying to find Yi-shin, Su-yeol finds himself in A-ran’s home and, inside a secret room, finds videos of Yi-shin’s therapy sessions and a whole lot of things. From there, a shocking revelation comes out – Yi-shin, having been brought up at Jusin Church, led by her father Hyun-nam, had killed her mother and had abused her. It’s a shocking revelation that leaves Su-yeol completely devastated.

That night, Yi-shin visits Hyun-nam, and he blabbers on about God forgiving him and him having atoned for his sins. Just as she’s about to kill her father, Su-yeol intervenes and stops her from shedding more blood. Yi-shin listens to him, and the two are just about to walk out when he spots another young girl just outside the door. It’s clear that Hyun-nam is still up to his dirty antics, and, thankfully, justice is delivered this time around – Yi-shin kills her father and burns the church down.

Also Read: Queen Mantis Season 1 Review

Su-yeol saves her from the fire, and she eventually tells him to forget about everything and live his life like he has till then. She eventually thanks Jung-ho for teaching Su-yeol to have a passionate heart like him and gives her a picture of a young Su-yeol. She hopes not to see her son again, but 2 years later, Yi-shin is shocked to see the news report of Jung-ho’s body being found in the forests. She gets a visit from Su-yeol and Na-hee, as the three work together once again.

Queen Mantis Episode 8 Review

Queen Mantis ends on a shocking and rather heartbreaking note, as even though justice is served, does it truly save anyone or anything? The relationship between Yi-shin and Su-yeol is the best part of the show, and the psychology behind so many young, abused children finding a motherly figure in Yi-shin, who, for the rest of the world, is a monster, is a very interesting topic of conversation. I think the series is a bit too short to truly delve into that complicated topic. However, I enjoyed it regardless and here’s to hoping for another season just for that cliffhanger!

Also Read: Queen Mantis Ending Explained: Is the Murderer Caught? What Happens to Yi-shin? Is Jung-ho Dead?