A Comprehensive Look at Queen Mantis 2025
Dive Into the Chilling World of 'Queen Mantis'
Explore every aspect of ‘Queen Mantis’ in this comprehensive review. Dive into character insights, strengths, and weaknesses. If you haven’t seen the drama yet and are looking for a spoiler-free review, check out the link below.
Spoiler Alert
Please be advised that this review contains significant spoilers about the plot and characters of ‘Queen Mantis’. If you have not yet watched the drama, we recommend viewing it first to avoid any spoilers.
Series Details
General Information
Air Dates: September 5 – September 27, 2025
Episodes: 8
Where to Watch: Viki and Netflix
Genre: Crime Thriller
Starring: Go Hyun Jung and Jang Dong Yoon
The Story
A young detective is forced to confront his childhood trauma when he is assigned a copy cat serial killer case. The original killer is his own mother, who is currently serving a life sentence in prison. And in the best interest of the case, the police department has sought her out as a consultant. The detective will have to put aside his personal wounds and secrets if the two of them are going to work together to solve the case now.
Meeting the stars: Go Hyun Jung and Jang Dong Yoon
Go Hyun Jung as Jung I Sin
Jung I Sin is currently serving a life sentence for the violent deaths of 5 men more than 20 years ago. She exchanged her confession for a private prison with access to fresh coffee beans, music, and books. She hasn’t seen her son, Cha Su Yeol, since her incarceration, but she recieves updates from Detective Choi Jung Ho, who has told her he is married and became a Police Officer. But her quiet isolation is interrupted when someone begins copying her murders.
When Choi Jung Ho comes to her to get her insights into the fresh cases, I Sin agrees to help the police, if they make Su Yeol the mediator between her and the Police Department. And as she and Su Yeol begin to gather information about the new serial killer and the crimes being committed, they begin to unravel their own complicated past and the scars they both still suffer.
Jung I Sin is emotionally detached and chillingly straightforward about the crimes she committed. She expresses no regret about the things she has done. And while she should never be considered innocent in these crimes, as we hear more about her story and what was happening at that time, we find out that there are others who are at least partly responsible for everything that led up to I Sin’s actions. Go Hyun Jung is a veteran actress who has honed her skills and it really shows in this role. She plays this complex, unbalanced character with a tight control that makes every nuance of movement and expression count.
Jang Dong Yoon as Cha Su Yeol
Cha Su Yeol is only 11 years old when his mother went to prison. Because his dad had disappeared from their lives before that time, Su Yeol is sent to an orphanage where he changed his name. Detective Choi Jung Ho continues to watch over and mentor him as he grows up. And it is his suggestion that Su Yeol become a police officer, as a way to assuage some of his guilt for the crimes his mother committed.
No one besides Detective Choi know about Su Yeol’s past, including Su Yeol’s wife, Jung Yeon. But as he works side by side with his mother, Su Yeol will realize that no secret stays hidden and that the past that he thought was so distant has been closer to him than he ever knew.
Cha Su Yeol is haunted by the things his mother did. He lives in fear that he also has a dark, violent side, and this makes him rigidly moral and carefully guarded. But despite the years of hate and resentment he has build up against his mother, he also feels a deep yearning for the mom he has missed and the person she once was. I love Jang Dong Yoon and its great to see him taking on such a complex role, but I wish the writers had taken more time to explore his feelings and the growth his character experienced as the drama went along.
Supporting characters
Cho Seong Ha as Choi Jung Ho
Choi Jung Ho is a rookie officer when Jung I Sin begins her serial killings. Eventually he arrests her, but he is often torn between his responsibility as an officer and his understanding of the social envionment at the time, where a whole town of unemployed men had turned to physical abuse and alcohol. Since I Sin’s arrest, Jung Ho has been a mentor and father figure to Su Yeol
Lee El as Kim Na Hui
Kim Na Hui is a Senior Detective in the Violent Crimes Unit. She and her team thought she would be receiving a promotion to team leader, so they are all upset when Su Yeol shows up and takes the job. But despite her misgivings, she and Su Yeol develop a strong partnership that makes it possible to catch the killer.
Han Dong Hee as Seo A Ra
Seo A Ra is the best friend of Jung Yeon. A Ra is the one who originally introduced Su Yeol to Jung Yeon. Now she and Jung Yeon work together at a pottery shop. But A Ra has a dark secret that connects her to Su Yeol’s past, and her friendship with Jung Yeon will put Jung Yeon in serious danger.
3 things i loved about ‘Queen MANTIS’
1.
Jung Ho:
Jung Ho is an interesting and often frustrating characters. I think he represents the incompetancies of the status quo and the justice system. That scene of him riding his bicycle in circles while ringing the bell is the perfect illustration of his character and the bigger issues he stands over. He is at once sympathetic and totally ineffectual. And he is also a bridge between Su Yeol and I Sin. Without him, Su Yeol and I Sin may never have found the small amount of restoration they did.
2.
Go Hyun Jung:
Again, I just have to say this drama would have never worked with a weaker lead actress. Go Hyun Jung channeled her best Hannibal Lecter, and it was terrifying. But she is more than just a cold-blooded killer. She is also a victim and a loving mother. I loved the complexities of this character and Go Hyun Jung knew just where to push the limits and where to pull back the emotion.
3.
Su Yeol and Na Hui:
I really enjoyed the progression of the relationship between Su Yeol and Na Hui. And I liked the fact that they never carried it too far into the realm of romance. They were able to go from distrust to total dependence on each other through the course of the drama in a believable way that built up slowly. And in the end, it is their partnership that makes all the difference.
3 things i didn’t love about ‘Queen MAntis’
1.
A Ra:
I feel like all of A Ra’s back story got crammed into the final episode without enough development. I wish they had introduced Kang Yeon Joong sooner and shown us more of the process A Ra went through to commit the murders.
There has been a lot of talk about the issue of making the killer a trans woman. Since this drama is a remake, that is how the original villain is presented. While some complain about making a trans woman an evil killer, others argue she wasn’t actually a trans since she hinted that she only became a women to be able to do the crimes without getting noticed. In the end, there are a lot of questions about what A Ra’s true motives and mind set were.
2.
Weak Male Characters:
This drama had some amazingly complex and interesting woman characters with engaging back stories. But none of the male characters felt strong or well developed. We watch Su Yeol show his anger and resentment against his mom all the way through, and then suddenly seem to soften without much explanation. While Jung Ho seems to waffle right up until the end. Even the grandfather goes from soft hearted pastor to disgusting pedophile the no hint of his ill intentions.
3.
Missed Potential:
I’ve already hit on a lot of characters who needed more development in their stories. But this drama also has some glaring plot holes. Was I Sin really planning on escaping that whole time? Did she always plan to kill her dad? How did I Sin and A Ra get away from a whole mountainside of armed police officers? Did A Ra tell Min Jae who she was before she killed him? That would have been a nice touch.
One of the things I really liked in the beginning of this drama was the easy skinship between Su Jeon and his wife. It felt very natural. But their relationship didn’t grow much after their initial introduction, and I was disappointed by that. I think the real point here is that, in this case, 8 episodes felt like too few to develop some key story elements.
The Conclusion of 'Queen Mantis'
The Ending
‘Queen Mantis’ ends with the police solving the case. A Ra arranges a meeting to exchange Jung Yeon for I Sin. I Sin ends up shooting A Ra to save Jung Yeon, but she doesn’t kill her. Unfortunately, when the police arrive on the scene they end up having to kill A Ra after all. I Sin escapes and goes to find her father. Su Yeol goes into hiding and follows her there. When the truth of I Sin’s childhood is discovered by Su Yeol, I Sin tries to kill herself and her father, but Su Yeol saves her. And as he performs CPR on her, he calls her mom for the first time since she was arrested.
In the end, I Sin turns herself in and goes back to prison. But after a two year time jump, we find Su Yeol and Na Hui back in front of her, asking for help again. There is a new case they need her help on, and this time the victim is poor Jung Ho. There is not official word on whether this is the lead in to a season two, or just a provocative ending, but for now this is it.
My Personal Thoughts and Ratings
‘Queen Mantis’ is a crime thriller with a mystery twist. The story is unpredictable and gripping, and Go Hyun Jung gives a chilling performance as the unhinged serial killer. The drama focuses on situations and characters that fall into the moral gray; where the villains can sometimes be heroes and the heroes can sometimes be villains.
Unfortunately, the drama runs into trouble with some of its plot holes. And while the female characters were complex and gritty, the male characters all seemed to fall a bit flat. As a serial killer crime drama you should expect a fair amount of blood and violence, which can be unsettling, but I loved the mystery and Go Hyun Jung’s riveting story and performance. I give ‘Queen Mantis’ an 8 out of 10 ramen.
🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜
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