Queen Mantis Episode 1 Recap: What is in the Newspaper Report?

Netflix’s ‘Queen Mantis,’ originally titled ‘Samagwi: Salinjaui Oechul,’ is a Korean crime thriller that brings past and present together in the investigation of a chilling serial murder case. When Officer Choi Jung-ho comes face-to-face with a display of inhumanity that is eerily reminiscent of something he put an end to decades ago, he realizes that his troubles are only just beginning. With more bodies soon to follow, he enlists the help of his reliable protégé, Cha Su-Yeol, and the two go to hell and back to crack the case, but to no avail. Faced with imminent defeat, the duo realizes that it has no choice but to seek help from the person who started it all, the infamous serial killer known as the Mantis. Thus begins a saga of crime and punishment where serial killers and their catchers join hands to bring an even greater threat under control. SPOILERS AHEAD.

A Haunting Case From the Past Rears its Head Once Again

The story begins with a gruesome crime being reported at the banks of the Nambu stream, with the Major Crimes Investigation Unit, led by Officer Choi Jung-ho, reaching the scene shortly after. While the dead person’s mobile phone and wallet are missing, an ankle monitor reveals that he was formerly convicted of sexual assault. Notably, though the person is strangulated to death, their tongue has been cut off. Hearing this, a chill runs down Jung-ho’s spine as a connection begins to form between this case and the one he had undertaken twenty-three years ago. A closer look at the corpse confirms his worst fears, as the tongue can be found inserted into the person from behind. This modus operandi is identical to that of a serial killer from the past, which suggests that there is a new cycle on the brink of manifesting.

A flashback to 2001 paints a similar scene, with a body being discovered under similar circumstances. Officer Jung-ho, fresh in the police force, is tasked with locating the killer, but right before his eyes, the number of fatalities rises. Soon, a second person is beheaded, and a third drowned, with all three of them turning out to be sexual offenders. However, when this triptych ends, the culprit is miraculously caught and revealed to be a woman who is nicknamed the “Mantis.” The title borrows from the insect’s cruel nature, wherein the females often kill the males after mating. With the serial killer now behind bars, Jung-ho feels ready to put the past behind him, but it nonetheless comes knocking, decades later. At present, Detective Kim Na-hee studies the copycat killer’s file intently but passes out due to exhaustion before any meaningful progress is made.

Cha Su-Yeol is a Bright Officer With a Traumatic Past

Meanwhile, in Anwon Prison, Mantis quietly watches the news unpack information about the new copycat killer. This prompts her to write a mysterious letter to Jung-ho, with a picture of a child in the backdrop, hinting at her past. The scene then shifts to a Narcotics Division unit, headed by Detective Cha Su-yeol. They make their way to a suspected apartment, but are already too late, as a man lies stabbed, with his wife and daughter huddled in a corner. Su-yeol rushes to make the best of the man’s dying words, which in turn direct his suspicion back to the wife. A quick glance at her hand confirms that she is a drug abuser, but the woman reacts violently and flees to the terrace, with her daughter trailing along. Once there, the woman begins hallucinating and nearly throws her daughter off the building, but Su-yeol intervenes just in time by shooting her in the foot and saving the day.

Despite his efforts yielding results, Su-yeol is reprimanded by his superiors for taking risks. The young detective’s feeling of dejection is only amplified as he looks at the little girl and remembers his own past, when he was abandoned. Elsewhere, Jung-ho discusses with the higher-ups about the possibility of involving the Mantis in the copycat investigations. It turns out that the narrative for the public has been that she died in custody, but in reality, she is very much alive. When Jung-ho and the serial killer do meet again, it becomes evident that she has a demand of her own. The scene then shifts to Su-yeol running into Jung-ho. The senior officer hands him the copycat’s file before desperately urging him to join the case. Su-yeol initially doesn’t pay this much heed, but his expression changes when he learns that the Mantis herself is involved.

Cha Su-Yeol and the Mantis Come Together, For the Second Time

Hearing about the Mantis, whose real name is Jeong I-shin, triggers a deep-seated trauma in Su-yeol, and he aggressively refuses participation in the case. With this exchange behind him, the detective makes his way to Rayeon Ceramic Studio, where his wife, Lee Jung-yeon, is the chief artisan. The couple shares a warm moment before heading to bed, but the knowledge of a new serial killer lurking around begins to eat at him. When a second kill is confirmed in the characteristic fashion, beheading, Su-yeol resolves to swallow his fears and partake in the investigation. The first step is a private conversation between I-shin, Su-yeol, and Jung-ho at a secure compound. When the serial killer meets the young detective, her eyes show emotion for the first time, and she refers to him as Jeong-ho, seemingly confirming that she is his mother.

Su-yeol is visibly distressed upon coming face to face with her, but steels himself for the sake of the investigation. Their primary round of analysing the case files yields nothing revelatory, and I-shin suggests visiting the site of the crime herself for a better grasp of the murders. When her son pushes back, she doubles down on her psychological torment, nearly pushing him to his limit. Su-yeol is doubtful of how much she can help the case, but Jung-ho recalls how he caught her purely based on a hunch, and when they came face to face, she agreed to a confession on the condition that she was given a solitary cell, music, and coffee. He points out that she is a transactional entity and will surely fulfill her promise. The following day, Su-yeol talks to his maternal grandfather, Jeong Hyeon-nam, about his latest experience. The latter is furious at this development and calls his own daughter a devil who must be kept at bay.

Cha Su-Yeol Finds His Footing as the Lead Investigator

Before Su-yeol leaves for work, we are also introduced to Seo Ara, a friend of Jung-yeon’s and a fellow artisan at the studio. Back in the station, Su-yeol is introduced as a temporary squad leader at the Major Crimes Investigation Unit, and quickly puts his expertise to use by pointing out the holes in the existing police work. In particular, the second murder differs from its antecedent in a single way: the presence of a mirror near the corpse. Su-yeol suggests that this might be the killer’s way of augmenting the work, but without a closer look, the intentionality of its placement cannot be judged. Na-hee continues her request to meet I-shin for the case, but she is turned down owing to the complicated chain of command and secrecy. The scene then abruptly cuts to a mysterious man sneaking into a family’s bedroom, with an anesthetic syringe in his hand, suggesting ill intent.

Later that night, the investigative squad gathers at a diner named Passion Gukbap for a relaxing dinner, complete with liquor and amusement. With this, the team slowly begins to bond, still not prepared for the horrors that are about to unfold. In the dead of the night, I-shin wakes up from her bed to listen to music, adding another feather to her cap of eccentricities. The next day, she gets her wish granted and is accompanied by Su-yeol and Jung-ho to the scene of the crime, a warehouse. As the serial killer gets closer to inspecting the environment, tensions begin to simmer between mother and son. Before long, she comes to the same conclusion as him, with the mirror being a conscious addition to the murder. The two suggest that it might be the killer’s way of showing themselves, but that it also might depend on the tools available to them in the present, and not pre-planned.

Jeong I-shin Adds a New Twist to the Copycat Case

The scene then takes a more macabre turn as I-shin begins recollecting her own experience of enacting the original murder, including the euphoria she felt when plucking the person’s head off. However, in this moment, she has an epiphany and, out of amusement, decides to keep it a secret from the two police officers. Nearly at his boiling point, Su-yeol presses further, but only gets one clue in return. I-shin reminds him that only one paper published pictures from the crime scene 23 years ago, and therein lies a crucial detail. Hearing this, Su-yeol contacts Na-hee, and along with the tech-head, Son Ji-an, they look up at the news article of the past. Although initially nothing seems to stand out, a closer look leads to a game-changing revelation.

The picture in the newspaper article turns out to be mirrored, with the corpse’s chopped head being placed on the right side. While this can be chalked up to a printing error, it does not explain how the copycat killer bypassed this misinformation to correctly place the head on the left side. Given that the report is the only publicly available source for the crime, a possibility arises that the killer has access to more intimate documents, likely pertaining to the court and criminal proceedings. Although this narrows down the process significantly, the killer is still out of their clutches, and only I-shin appears to have the ability to dig out the truth. However, the copycat is not the only person they need to be worried about, as the mysterious person from before is revealed to have kidnapped the woman at the house, with a harrowing future likely in her cards.