Queen Mantis Episode 2 recap: Soo-yeol and his team identify a potential suspect

Episode 2 of Queen Mantis has added more mystery to the storyline. In the previous episode, we saw the police searching for a copycat killer who has been mimicking the modus operandi of serial killer Yi-shin. Police Officer Jung-ho had no choice but to seek her help to catch the copycat.

This results in Jung-ho bringing detective Soo-yeol, Yi-shin’s estranged son, onto his team as the leader, which makes the team unhappy. However, this doesn’t affect their investigation as they identify the suspect. While Yi-shin helps the cops, several moments reveal how Soo-yeol still doesn’t trust Yi-shin, even when she proves that the suspect they’ve caught might not be the one they were looking for.

Here’s what happened in Queen Mantis Episode 2.

Disclaimer: The article contains spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.

---

Queen Mantis Episode 2 recap: The team identifies the suspect

In the previous episode of Queen Mantis, Jung-ho takes Soo-yeol to meet his mother to learn more about the copycat killer. He also asks him to join his team, officially making him the team leader instead of Na-hee.

After taking Yi-shin to the crime scene in Episode 2, the team finds out that the killer had more details about Yi-shin’s MO than what was shared in the media, leading them to search for leaks among prosecutors, doctors, or detectives.

Soon, they learn that Yi-shin’s file was missing from the defense attorney’s office. After meeting him, they finally identify their suspect, Seo Gu-wan, an orphan who lied to the attorney about being from his orphanage to get close to him. Later, Soo-yeol and his team wait for Gu-wan to return home to catch him. However, he quickly notices the police and escapes.

---

Queen Mantis Episode 2 recap: Soo-yeol suspects Yi-shin

Since they fail to capture Gu-wan, they break into his house in desperation in Episode 2 of Queen Mantis. They are stunned to see how much data he has collected, not even sparing them. They also find letters suggesting that Yi-shin and Gu-wan were communicating while she was in prison, and that she might be the one orchestrating the murders. This angers Soo-yeol, who calls Jung-ho to inform him about this.

He later storms into the house where Yi-shin was held and confronts her about using them. However, Yi-shin denies sending letters to Gu-wan. Further investigation reveals that Gu-wan was suffering from schizophrenia and might have sent those letters to himself without even realizing it. Later, through his computer, they discover that Gu-wan had been holding his half-brother Tae-soek’s family captive and was living with them. The team arrived on time to arrest him before he could harm Tae-soek’s wife or children.

---

Queen Mantis Episode 2 recap: Gu-wan meets Yi-shin

Na-hee’s attempt to question Gu-wan fails in Episode 2 of Queen Mantis. She asks him about Tae-soek’s location, but his focus is on Soo-yeol. To distract her, he responds by bringing up her autistic child, who lives with her ex-husband.

As she snaps, Soo-yeol intervenes and tries to talk to Gu-wan. It is revealed that Gu-wan knows everything about the team, including that Soo-yeol is Yi-shin’s son. He attempts to learn more about Yi-shin through Soo-yeol.

After Soo-yeol fails to gather any important intel, Jung-ho and he decide to take him to meet Yi-shin. This becomes a key moment in the episode as Gu-wan appears excited about meeting her. However, when she asks him about the murders he had committed, she soon realizes that Gu-wan has actually never killed anyone.

This enrages the man, and he threatens her that he will tell everyone about Soo-yeol being her son, prompting the serial killer to try to kill him. However, Soo-yeol and the others stop her from doing it. But Gu-wan still ends up being injured when he tries to shoot himself with the gun that he nicked from the police.

While Gu-wan is in a coma, Soo-yeol and his team try to find Tae-soek, which leads them to the hospital where Gu-wan was abandoned by her mother. Gu-wan wanted to live Tae-soek's life; therefore, he took his family hostage and started living with them in their home.

Soo-yeol theorizes that, just like Yi-shin, Gu-wan might be planning to drown the third victim and has discovered the laundry at the hospital. Na-hee spots Tae-soek inside a washing machine and helps Soo-yeol pull him out, after which he performs CPR to save Tae-soek’s life.

---

Keep reading Soap Central for more such stories.

Also Read: The Rainmaker Episode 4 recap: Rudy receives crucial intel from an unexpected source.