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The Queen of Serial Killer Dramas
Go Hyun Jung is without a doubt, the stand out performance not only in Queen Mantis but for the year. She delivered her role perfectly. As much as it was chilling, the depth she brought to a mother who used brutal methods to despatch terrible men in their own right, who also longed for her son, was unforgettable.
Although a remake of the French show, Mantis, I have found QM the best serial killer kdrama to date. The reason: superb acting, very good writing and the reigning in of the classic tropes. The subject matter re QM’s origins is not pleasant but it is handled in a steady manner ie not over the top.
This show looks into the cause of human behaviour both nature and nurture. Its premise is ultimately that nuture is the cause and not someone’s bloodline. The exploration on how people react when a key employer (in this case, the mine) shuts down is a reminder of the tragedy that follows.
Trust is pivotal to each character and storyline. How this I stretched, lost and then regained comes down to the inner strength of each character.
Jang Dong Yoon is very good as the son of Queen Mantis. I liked how this show explored the relationship between Su Yeol and his wife and how, in hand with this, Kim Bo Ra played a very understated performance.
Cho Seong Ha delivers as he always does but I felt that his character was a little bit too wimpy. Also, they should have used a different (younger) actor in the flashbacks.
As for Lee El, a strong performance that was like a second fiddle at times. This role contrasts to her performance at the same time in My Awesome Star where she portrayed the jealous and delusional starlet so well.
When it came down to the big reveal, I wasn’t surprised. The red herrings were top notch. The layers, challenging.
Queen Mantis is eight episodes, the right amount for such a genre. Anything more would have detracted from the quality of the show but it’s clear a sequel is in the works.
Although a remake of the French show, Mantis, I have found QM the best serial killer kdrama to date. The reason: superb acting, very good writing and the reigning in of the classic tropes. The subject matter re QM’s origins is not pleasant but it is handled in a steady manner ie not over the top.
This show looks into the cause of human behaviour both nature and nurture. Its premise is ultimately that nuture is the cause and not someone’s bloodline. The exploration on how people react when a key employer (in this case, the mine) shuts down is a reminder of the tragedy that follows.
Trust is pivotal to each character and storyline. How this I stretched, lost and then regained comes down to the inner strength of each character.
Jang Dong Yoon is very good as the son of Queen Mantis. I liked how this show explored the relationship between Su Yeol and his wife and how, in hand with this, Kim Bo Ra played a very understated performance.
Cho Seong Ha delivers as he always does but I felt that his character was a little bit too wimpy. Also, they should have used a different (younger) actor in the flashbacks.
As for Lee El, a strong performance that was like a second fiddle at times. This role contrasts to her performance at the same time in My Awesome Star where she portrayed the jealous and delusional starlet so well.
When it came down to the big reveal, I wasn’t surprised. The red herrings were top notch. The layers, challenging.
Queen Mantis is eight episodes, the right amount for such a genre. Anything more would have detracted from the quality of the show but it’s clear a sequel is in the works.
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