Queen Mantis/The Mantis: Original Sin is thrilling everyone with its unique plot that follows an imprisoned female serial killer and copycats imitating her crimes. Queen Mantis episode 3 is the next in line, and it will be released on Friday, September 12, 2025, at 9:50 PM KST on SBS. It is also streaming on Netflix in the U.S.
The mystery thriller already premiered on Friday, September 5, 2025, and the second episode aired the next day. The show has 8 episodes in total, and they will all air weekly on Friday and Saturday. The finale will air on September 27, 2025. It is adapted from the French series La Mante.
The show stars Ko Hyun-jung as Jung Yi-shin and Jang Dong-yoon as Cha Soo-yeol in the lead roles. The former plays the woman imprisoned for being a serial killer, and the latter plays her estranged son, who has to team up with her to solve the case of the copycat. It’s a layered drama with complex characters that has kept everyone hooked.
Queen Mantis Episode 3: Release Date, Time, and Streaming Details
Queen Mantis episode 3 will be released on September 12, 2025, adhering to the weekly release schedule of new episodes on Fridays and Saturdays. This means that episode 4 will drop right the next day on Saturday, September 13, 2025.
The release timing is 8:50 am as per EDT. The title of the show is likely a reference to how female mantises devour the male ones after mating, since the plot follows the female lead convicted of killing 5 men suspected of abusing women. Here are more details about the K-drama below:
| ATTRIBUTE | DETAILS |
| Name of the Show | Queen Mantis |
| Creator / Director | Byun Young-joo |
| IMDb Score | 7.2/10 |
| No. Of Episodes | 8 |
| Streaming/ Watching Details | SBS Fridays & Saturdays 9:50 PM KST Netflix global streaming |
| Cast | Go Hyun-jung, Jang Dong-yoo, Cho Sung-ha, Lee El |
| Genre | Mystery Thriller, Police Procedural |
As per Flixpatrol, the show held the number 1 spot in South Korea on Netflix on September 7, 2025. It also held the number 4 position in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Queen Mantis Episode 3 Plot Details
Episode 3 of Queen Mantis is expected to pick up from where episode 2 ended. Detective Choi Jung-ho found a severed head with the tongue inserted into its backside. The officials contacted Yi-Shin from her maximum security cell, but she only agreed to help them catch the copycat if she could speak with Detective Cha Soo-yeol, her estranged son.
Soo-yeol reluctantly agreed, and this brought him face-to-face with the woman who taught him everything about crime and crime scenes. Yi-Shin revealed that the killer had access to her crime-scene photos, and this led the officers to Seo Gu-won, an officer who had personal files full of replicas of Yi-Shin’s crimes. They ultimately caught him after a tense stand-off.
Episode 3 will likely feature a new copycat killer and showcase more development of the mother-son relationship. During a press conference at SBS’s headquarters in Yangcheon District, Seoul; actress Ko Hyun-jung revealed what was most fascinating about playing a character like Yi-Shin. She revealed (via Korea Times):
While the brutality of Yi-shin’s murders is certainly striking, the real intrigue lies in uncovering the reasons behind her descent into violence. That’s where the story’s true depth and suspense lie.
Indeed, it will be interesting to see what happened to her that caused her to commit these murders, and whether she did all of them or not.
What do you think will happen in Queen Mantis episode 3? Are you finding the show enjoyable so far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Queen Mantis is currently streaming on Netflix.
