Queen Mantis episode 7 review — A deadly reveal, shifting loyalties, and a countdown to tragedy

Queen Mantis enters its penultimate chapter with a force that feels both inevitable and deeply unsettling. Episode 7 finally names the copycat killer, yet refuses to take away the tension of not knowing how the story will end. It's a violent and heavy hour that clears the board for a finale that seems destined to hurt.

This chapter also captures what has made Queen Mantis so gripping from the start: the ability to reveal answers without collapsing its own mystery. Instead of losing power once the identity of the copycat comes to light, the series grows sharper and more unpredictable.

We are left with an even deeper unease, wondering how far the original Queen Mantis might go if she regains her freedom and what kind of destruction the imitator is willing to unleash to finish her vendetta. The penultimate hour of Queen Mantis thus becomes not just a step toward the ending but a pressure chamber that amplifies every fear.

A storm of grief and growing dread

The episode opens in grief and quiet dread. Jung-yeon faces the shock of her pregnancy while still carrying the weight of Su-yeol’s harsh words. The funeral of Min-jae unfolds as a muted gathering of fear and anger, a reminder that every life touched by Queen Mantis ends up marked. Even moments that should offer comfort feel brittle, as if one wrong move could shatter whatever safety remains.

This grief is not just sadness. It builds a suspended fear, the sense that everyone is standing on thin ice. The show lets silence do the work, stretching pauses and lingering on worried faces until every conversation feels dangerous. It is an emotional groundwork that makes the later violence hit harder.

Moves that feel like traps

From there, the investigation sharpens. A key call reveals that evidence has been wiped, and a doctor connected to the case is dead. Na-hee presses Yi-shin with pointed questions about her son and her past, but the original Queen Mantis refuses to give ground. Meanwhile, Su-yeol starts to sense a larger trap forming, a plan that might be about freeing Yi-shin herself.

Every disappearance of proof and every death that cuts off a lead feeds the feeling that someone is orchestrating the chaos. We are pulled into Su-yeol’s unease: it's no longer only about solving a case but surviving a game that someone else is winning. Queen Mantis uses these beats to keep the penultimate episode alive with dread, even when facts seem to be surfacing.

The mask finally drops

When the friend of Su-yeol’s wife, Ah-ra (Kang), is unmasked as the copycat, the show delivers the answer viewers expected yet makes it feel newly dangerous. Knowing who she is does not calm the storm. Instead, it throws the story into a deeper, more treacherous place. It's now possible that every move so far was designed to open a path for the original killer’s escape. It's also possible that none of this was planned, yet the chaos still tilts the game in her favor.

The reveal works because it refuses to ease the tension and instead pushes it to the breaking point. Queen Mantis gives clarity on identity but keeps the outcome in shadow, and that space between knowledge and dread is where the episode thrives.

A chilling clash of killers in Queen Mantis

What makes the copycat’s reveal so bitter is the cruelty behind her murders. She has killed innocent people to settle personal grudges and tie loose knots, staining the idea that this might have been some larger moral crusade. That violence lands hard because the original Mantis, while terrifying, has always been more complex than simple revenge.

The contrast is now striking. Yi-shin is built on myth and calculation, a figure who kills with purpose and cunning. The copycat is fueled by anger and reckless pain, willing to destroy anyone to soothe her own resentment. This difference adds weight to the coming showdown. One killer may be evil but understandable; the other feels chaotic and vicious in a way that leaves no room for sympathy. By deepening this divide, Queen Mantis makes the next step feel even more unpredictable.

Tension stretched to breaking point

By the time the credits roll in the penultimate episode of the show, alliances have shifted and everyone stands on a cliff edge. Su-yeol is forced into choices that may decide who lives or dies, with his wife and unborn child caught in between. Yi-shin’s fate hangs between the cage and freedom, her silence more dangerous than open threats. The copycat forces a deadly confrontation and drags innocent lives into her revenge.

Trending

Even with the killer identified, Queen Mantis keeps tightening its grip, holding us in a rare space where the facts are clear but the future is dark and unknowable. That growing sense of impending tragedy makes the wait for the finale almost unbearable.

Rating with a touch of flair: 5 out of 5 ticking clocks counting down to heartbreak.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback