A cop with a lot of family baggage. A woman in prison for murder. A copycat serial killer.
These are the elements that set the stage in Queen Mantis, a new Korean show on Netflix.
It’s based on a French thriller called La Mante (The Mantis) and — if you’ll forgive the bug pun — it’s already generating a lot of buzz.
If you’re intrigued by crime-solving and a heaping dose of family drama, the Watch With Us team thinks you should watch Queen Mantis on Netflix.
The Premise Is Fascinating
Cha Soo-yeol (Jang Dong-yoon) is a police detective whose past hides a traumatic secret — his mother, Jung Yi-shin (Go Hyun-jung), is the infamous serial killer known as the Mantis, who is currently serving time for five murders.
Raised by his grandfather Jeong Hyeon-nam (Lee Hwang-ui), he has no relationship with his murderous mother — until a serial killer begins copying her style with strikingly similar kills around the city. Soo-yeol is forced to team up with his mother to capture this copycat and maybe come to terms with his mother’s violent nature.
It’s the age-old question — “whodunnit?” Oh, and also, “What crime or mystery show should I watch on Amazon?” If you’re itching for your next mystery or crime obsession, Amazon Prime Video has plenty of great options. From new shows like Butterfly set in the shadowy world of international espionage to hard-boiled detective stories like […]
It’s a Break from the Netflix Binge-Watch Formula
Bingeing every episode of a show at once can be great, but sometimes it’s way more fun to let the anticipation of the next episode build up every week — especially with crime shows, where suspense is such a huge part of the experience.
Breaking from their typical manner of dropping episodes, Netflix is releasing Queen Mantis in real time as each episode airs in Korea — the first two episodes are available now, with subsequent drops on September 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27. If you like to let the tension build — and follow along with viewers and fan theories online — you’ll enjoy the experience of Queen Mantis.
It Uses a Thriller Trope in a New Way
Go Hyun Jung in Queen Mantis Netflix
Crime-solvers consulting with killers is one of our favorite murder-solving tropes — from The Silence of the Lambs to Mindhunter and Copycat — but by focusing on a mother-son relationship, Queen Mantis adds a whole new dimension to this terrifying dynamic. To solve the case, Soo-yeol must confront his own family history and trauma — something many of us avoid doing for our entire lives.
We have no idea how this is going to pay off — no one does, since the show is still airing! — but we’re excited to see how this mother-son relationship will evolve through their bizarre collaboration.
Watch Queen Mantis on Netflix.
