Spoiler Alert: This recap contains detailed spoilers for The Queen Mantis Episode 4.
Missed an Episode? Get up to speed with our recaps of Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3.
In Queen Mantis Episode 4, it aired on SBS on the 13th. The story grew darker as old wounds resurfaced. Every scene carried tension. Each character was cornered by fear, lies, or guilt.
This episode masterfully shifted from a simple murder mystery to a profound exploration of inherited trauma. The real monster isn’t just a killer, but the pervasive cycle of abuse and the devastating secrets that bind these families together
Cha Soo-yeol faced the strongest suspect yet. He visited Park Min-jae, who had been tracking him and his wife from a distance. Inside the house, Soo-yeol found something unsettling.
A small replica of Jeong I-shin’s murder scene sat quietly, almost like a trophy. It shocked him.
When Park Min-jae arrived, Soo-yeol confronted him. He demanded answers. He asked if Min-jae killed them all. Min-jae acted confused but asked, “Is my mother well?” His voice cracked with emotion. It revealed something broken inside him.
Min-jae once admired Jeong I-shin. She had saved him from abuse years ago. That old bond twisted into obsession.
Min-jae’s psychology is a classic case of a savior complex turning toxic. Jeong I-shin wasn’t just a person to him; she was a symbol of his own salvation.
Obsession Turns Dark
When she disappeared or failed to live up to his idealized image, that gratitude curdled into a possessive obsession. His replica of the murder scene isn’t just a trophy; it’s a shrine to the moment his savior became a monster, and he can’t look away.
Soo-yeol feared this obsession had pushed Min-jae to murder.
He pressed him for an alibi. Min-jae shrugged it off and said he could have done anything. The arrogance made Soo-yeol furious.
Soo-yeol reminded him he was a suspect. Min-jae kept provoking him. He mocked Soo-yeol’s mother. He questioned if she was his “seizure button.” It was cruel, yet strangely calm.
Min-jae then showed his location logs, saying his movements were tracked through his job at an errand center. It sounded like an alibi, but something still felt off.
Min-jae talked about the murders. He said people thought the new cases were like the old locust case. He said if the victims were people who “deserved to die,” maybe that was real justice.
His words were chilling. He also said, “I didn’t hurt you, but I hid it, even made a fake grave. I’ll carry that forever. Just let me see your mother once.” The request felt unsettling.
Truths About the Past and the Escape
Meanwhile, Seo Gu-wan regained consciousness. He told Kim Na-hee that Jeong I-shin wanted to kill him.
Na-hee promised to protect him and asked why. Seo Gu-wan refused to answer. He pushed her aside and escaped. While fleeing, he got into a car accident.
Soo-yeol found him. Seo Gu-wan said he knew the truth about Soo-yeol and his wife. He asked if Soo-yeol wished he was dead too. Soo-yeol said no. He reminded him he once saved his life.
Seo Gu-wan smiled faintly and said, “You’re just like your mother. I envy you.” Then he ended his own life.
Jeong I-shin used this chaos to break free. She tricked the police at the pension house. She fed one officer something, knocked him out, and wore his clothes to escape. It was cold and precise.
Her first stop after escaping was Lee Jung-yeon. She is Soo-yeol’s wife and her daughter-in-law. She stood at her door and simply said “hello.” The moment was quiet but sharp, like the calm before a storm.
Soo-yeol had warned her before. He told her he would protect his family from her. He said he would never be kind again. She only smiled and asked if he would still stand by Jung-yeon even if the truth about her came out.
Old Wounds Resurface
Soo-yeol also learned about his father from his grandfather. The truth crushed him. He once thought his father was kind. But Jeong I-shin had killed him.
She said he was abusive to her and Soo-yeol. The grandfather said he had known the man was a monster but could not stop it. It shattered Soo-yeol’s memory of his childhood.
At the same time, Na-hee and Bae Sung-gyu grew suspicious. They noticed Seo Gu-wan always seemed to know too much. He knew about the hospital, the well, even Jeong I-shin’s first murder.
They wondered if everything they knew came from Seo Gu-wan manipulating them. Na-hee felt uneasy. She said it made no sense for him to know so much and still act clueless.
Choi Jung-ho, once a strong officer, sank into despair. He remembered how powerless he felt years ago. Jung-ho described the mining town where men lost jobs, drank away their lives, and beat their families when they had no money.
He had tried to help abused women then. One woman refused his help. That memory still haunted him.
In the final moments, Jeong I-shin’s shadow loomed large again. She was free. She was standing near Jung-yeon. The tension tightened like a noose.
Everyone was spiraling—Soo-yeol between loyalty and fear, Min-jae between obsession and guilt, and I-shin between love and murder.
Episode 4 left many questions open. Can Soo-yeol protect his wife from his own mother? Is Min-jae truly innocent or only pretending to be?
The series keeps twisting old traumas into new dangers. This Queen Mantis episode 4 recap shows how the story is no longer just about catching a killer. It is about surviving her.
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Kavita Mishra is a dynamic writer and passionate Korean entertainment enthusiast, combining her love for K-pop and K-drama with a flair for storytelling. With a keen eye for the latest trends, Kavita crafts articles that capture the pulse of K-pop idols, chart-topping hits, and the most buzz-worthy dramas taking over screens worldwide.
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