The South Korean mystery-thriller and police procedural drama Queen Mantis (사마귀: 살인자의 외출) began airing on September 5, 2025, with episode 2 following the next day on September 6. It airs on SBS TV every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 pm KST, with episodes 3 and 4 set to release on September 12 and 13.The drama, based on the 2017 French series La Mante, is directed by Byun Young-joo and written by Lee Young-jong. Go Hyun-jung stars as the Mantis, Jung Yi-shin, and Jang Dong-yoon plays her son, Cha Soo-yeol.Queen Mantis follows Jung Yi-shin, a notorious serial killer who was captured over two decades ago after murdering five men. Her estranged son, Cha Soo-yeol, grew up despising her and now works as a detective. When a new murder surfaces, staged in the same gruesome style as Yi-shin’s past crimes, Soo-yeol has no choice but to turn to the very person he has avoided his entire life, his mother.What to expect in the upcoming episodes of Queen Mantis? View this post on Instagram Instagram PostIn the upcoming episodes of Queen Mantis, the tension escalates as Seo Gu-wan survives his self-inflicted gunshot and Kim Tae-seok is pulled back from the brink of death. The preview reveals that the copycat taunts the police with a chilling message, urging them to catch the real killer instead of the wrong one. This provocation sets the stage for a tense game of psychological warfare and a high-stakes cat-and-mouse chase.Yi-shin’s unstable hold on her emotions hints that her involvement may become more dangerous than helpful. Soo-yeol will have to navigate an uneasy alliance with his mother while leading the investigation, delving deeper into Gu-wan’s twisted mind.Soo-yeol may find that his personal life is no longer separate from the case, as the killer’s actions begin to threaten those closest to him. Meanwhile, events in the last episode hint that Soo-yeol could start being influenced by his mother’s methods and mindset, potentially putting his moral compass and investigative approach at risk.With each twist, the lines between hunter and hunted, past and present, family and duty, become increasingly blurred. The coming episodes promise a tense psychological battle, with shocking revelations that could change everything for Soo-yeol, his mother, and the entire investigative team.Still from Queen Mantis (Image via Netflix)A brief recap of Queen Mantis' episodes 1 & 2: Cha Soo-yeol teams up with his infamous mother to hunt a copycat killerThe story of Queen Mantis opens in episode 1, in Nambu, with a gruesome murder. Detective Choi Jung-ho finds the victim beheaded and the tongue missing.The crime pattern mirrors the brutal killings committed by Jung Yi-shin, the infamous “Mantis” captured 23 years earlier. When the tongue is later discovered inside the victim’s body, Choi, who has been a detective in the original case, is certain that a copycat is at work.Yi-shin, now in prison, offers to help but on one condition: she will only cooperate if she can speak with her son. Cha Soo-yeol, now a narcotics detective, loathes his mother and hides his connection with her.Soo-yeol resists at first, but pressured by Choi Jung-ho, he agrees to join the case. When mother and son meet again, Yi-shin is elated, but Soo-yeol keeps his distance, reminding her that he is there only for the investigation.Still from Queen Mantis (Image via Netflix)Yi-shin begins assisting with the case. She notes that the killer uses an axe instead of her trademark saw. Her notes also reveal a detail the police had missed earlier: the crime scene is copied exactly from her past murders. The scene is replicated down to the precise placement of the severed head, a detail shown only in trial footage from 2002. This leads the team to conclude that the copycat has seen her court case.This clue leads them to Seo Gu-wan, a troubled man who gained access to court files. His house is filled with forged letters, 3D-printed weapons, and notes about the investigation. When arrested, Gu-wan admits to idolizing Yi-shin and copying her but refuses to discuss his crimes further. The team discovers that Gu-wan was abandoned by his mother at birth. He has been living in the house of his stepbrother, Kim Tae-seok, pretending to be him and holding Tae-seok’s family hostage.Still from Queen Mantis (Image via Netflix)Later, during a tense confrontation with Yi-shin, Gu-wan’s lies unravel, revealing that he is not the killer. In desperation, he threatens to expose that Yi-shin is still alive and that she is Soo-yeol’s mother. Yi-shin snaps and nearly strangles him while urging her son to kill him.Amid the chaos, Gu-wan seizes a gun and shoots himself, but survives after being taken to the hospital. The clues he left behind lead Soo-yeol to discover where his missing stepbrother, Kim Tae-seok, is hidden.The team races to the hospital and rescues Tae-seok, who has been stuffed inside a washing machine. Episode 2 of Queen Mantis closes with Soo-yeol and his colleague Kim Na-hui fighting to save his life.Episodes of Queen Mantis are also available for streaming on Netflix and KOCOWA.