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| Queen Mantis |
I don't usually watch thrillers, suspense, or mysteries. I just don't want to get stressed out while watching dramas, and I don't tend to watch gore. However, sometimes I crave the thrill of a clever twist. Usually, I don't expect thrilling twists in romances or romantic comedies, so I have to watch genres I don't particularly enjoy. One of my students strongly recommended this drama, and after hearing the brief synopsis, I figured it had the level of twists I was looking for, so I persevered and started watching. At first, I planned to just watch one episode, but I ended up watching half of the episodes in a day, and in two days, I binge-watched everything except for two episodes that hadn't been released yet. What I hate most about dramas is when the audience is constantly guessing about the culprit or a key character, and then a new character suddenly appears. This is something the viewer can't predict on their own, and to put it bluntly, it feels like a betrayal by the writer. The writer and director's skill are crucial for creating a drama's twists and turns. This drama wasn't perfect, but it was pretty good. There were some rather strong lines (descriptions of murder) and brutal scenes that were difficult to digest, but they were predictable in advance, so I was able to anticipate them and prepare for them. As someone who doesn't usually watch this genre, I'd like to share a few points to try to convince someone.
1. Story
This drama is based on a French drama. Original stories from other countries often have unique storylines. While I haven't seen the French original, I think it was adapted quite naturally into a Korean setting. The premise—a woman serving a life sentence for serial murder, 20 years later to catch a copycat killer collaborates with her son, a police officer,—was refreshing. The setting in Korea 20 years ago, where the serial killer was forced to receive various benefits, while unrealistic, was forgivable. If I have the chance, I'd love to see the original French drama.
2. Acting
Honestly, not everyone's acting was 100% good. Again, because I worked on the Directing/Production team, I'm a bit more sceptical about acting and directing than the average viewer. Go Hyun-jung, who plays the serial killer and protagonist, isn't my personal favorite. There are some aspects that make her a bit awkward to work with, so she's not exactly a popular actress in this industry. However, I do admit that she's quite adept at this style of acting these days. Watching this drama, I kept thinking of another drama I saw last year: "Mask Girl." That drama was also quite shocking, and Go Hyun-jung's role felt similar yet distinct. It must have been a difficult role for an actress, and I was particularly impressed by her courage. Her face, worn by years of imprisonment, is perfectly portrayed with dark circles and blemishes, and her lifeless, empty gaze. She delivered a chilling performance that leaves one wondering if she's a good person or a bad person. This character truly relies on her acting ability.
Jang Dong-yoon, who plays the son alongside Go Hyun-jung, is a key figure in the filmography. I've seen his previous work, but I can't recall much about him. This character required a complex performance, and I personally think it's a bit disappointing. For example, when there's division within the team or things don't go well, he portrayed simple emotions like frustration, or when he was told he was the same as his mother, whom he hates, but his complex performance was also somewhat lacking. I also felt a bit disappointed with the explosive emotional outburst in the final episode. While it's certainly not bad for an actor of his age, it's simply not perfect. What if another actor had played this role? Perhaps Im Si-wan comes to mind for someone of similar age? Honestly, I'm not sure. And regardless of his age, looking back at his previous works, he lacked the experience to take on such a significant and weighty role. Therefore, I think it would have been better if the director had cast someone with more experience and depth, rather than his own talent. Still, I think actors Lee El and Jo Sung-ha handled the role well, leading the way and creating a good balance. Jo Sung-ha also appeared in the film "Helpless" and I think the director and he worked together again since then. Of the other actors I first saw in this drama, Lee Chang-min and Lee Tae-goo stand out.
3. Director
Byun Young-joo, who directed this drama, is a director I really like. She's a articulate, thoughtful, and intelligent director. I first discovered her through the film "Helpless" She's a master of female-centric films, and she often prioritizes artistic quality over entertainment. However, this time, she achieved considerable viewer rating success. It's difficult to expect a genre drama that's not easily accessible to all viewers to be a hit, but with a consistent 7% viewership rating, she's quite successful for a genre film. Considering the challenging subject matter and genre, even if the quality isn't quite up to par, I can say it was a very well-done production. The cinematography, editing, music, art direction, and props were particularly excellent.
4. So, do you recommend this drama?
Yes. For some reason, I've noticed my drama reviews are becoming increasingly strict. Having worked on the production team long time ago, I initially wrote positive reviews, but as I've continued to write, memories and habits from that time have begun to surface, making me more rigorous. I think I wrote this drama with a somewhat critical tone, but I enjoyed it anyway. I'm listing the shortcomings because I have a fondness for this drama, but overall, it's a drama I'd recommend to friends. However, caution is advised due to the detailed depiction of murder and various crimes, as well as the visual brutality. When I worked on the production team, this level of violence would have been acceptable in a movie, but never in a terrestrial drama. It's something we'll see in the long run. These changes, big and small, and the accumulation of experience lead to improvements in both the quality of the work and the acting, so I look forward to seeing new dramas in this genre in the future.
*One interesting thing is that a film with the same title, "Mantis" was released on Netflix around the same time, and people seem to be confused between the two when recommending them. Of course, they are completely unrelated, and I only watched the drama, so I'm not familiar with the movie one. The drama's full English title is "Queen Mantis" and its Korean title is "Mantis : A Murderer's Outing."
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