Queen Mantis episode 2 review — Family wounds, twisted justice, and a queen’s hidden plan

Queen Mantis builds on its chilling start with an episode that deepens the psychological tension and sharpens the blurred lines between law, vengeance, and morality, and what could’ve been a straightforward cat-and-mouse story turns into a disturbing reflection on justice, crime, and the weight of family wounds.

The hour unfolds so quickly that the suspense barely gives us time to breathe, ending on a note that ensures curiosity will only grow stronger.

The fragile game of morality

In episode 2 of Queen Mantis, the Copycat’s mind games push our protagonist, Cha Soo-yeol, into a confrontation with truths he’s long tried to suppress. He throws back in the officer’s face the moment from the first episode, when he considered killing a mother who threatened to throw her daughter from a building.

By pointing out that the officer isn’t so different from his own criminal mother, the Copycat destabilizes him and turns the badge into a mirror of violence. The question lingers uncomfortably: when’s killing a crime, and when’s it justice?

The Copycat’s failures

Despite his psychological tactics, the alleged Copycat’s revealed as a hollow imitator who did not actually kill anyone directly, so, he never committed the crime at the center of the investigation.

He tried and failed to kill, first his own half-brother, then in a desperate bid to end his own life. Far from being the genius killer he pretends to be, he emerges as a tragic (yet not at all pitiable) figure, a loser who mimics violence but can’t carry it to the end.

This twist preserves the suspense, reminding us that Queen Mantis still has darker mysteries waiting in the shadows.

Violence through the eyes of Queen Mantis

The brutality described in the wannabe-Mantis’s confessions leaves a mark. He recounts the case of a father who chained and burned his child with a heated spoon, horrors that make vengeance feel almost rational, even as the show refuses to condone it.

The discovery of his own half-brother in the hospital, who he left for dead inside an industrial washing machine, reinforces the grotesque cruelty at play. These moments keep the audience unsettled, torn between revulsion and the uneasy recognition that cycles of violence rarely leave anyone untouched.

A suspense that refuses to let go

What makes this episode of Queen Mantis remarkable is how it sustains tension across multiple layers at once. The wannabe-copycat-killer may falter, but his mind games leave scars. Cha Soo-yeol’s shaken morality opens cracks that threaten to widen, and the Queen Mantis herself remains a silent force, waiting for the right moment to strike.

This interplay of perspectives ensures that every storyline feeds into the larger mystery. The show doesn’t just shock with violence; it compels us to sit with it in discomfort, to question motives, and to imagine the consequences of every decision left hanging in the balance.

The queen’s hidden plan

The final scene shifts focus back to the Queen Mantis herself. Still imprisoned, she conceals a set of leaves she’d hidden in her mouth, tucking them away in her cell.

It’s a small act, but one heavy with implication. Her story isn’t over, and whatever she’s plotting promises to pierce through the walls meant to contain her. The suspense around her actions ties the episode together, leaving us haunted by questions of what her next move will unleash.

Rating with a touch of flair: 5 out of 5 leaves tucked away in the shadows of a queen’s cell.