Premiering Friday, Sept. 5 at 9:50 p.m., SBS’s new Friday-Saturday drama ‘The Mantis: Original Sin’ (written by Lee Young-jong, directed by Byun Young-joo) is a high-tension crime thriller set 20 years after the notorious serial killer known as “Mantis” was caught. When a copycat strikes, a detective must forge an unthinkable alliance with the one person he’s hated his entire life―his mother, the original “Mantis”―to crack the case.
The series is already a hot topic thanks to the powerhouse pairing of Ko Hyun-jung (as Jung I-shin) and the versatile Jang Dong-yoon (as Cha Soo-yeol). Fans are eager to see the sparks fly when these two magnetic stars face off as a killer mom and a cop son―arguably one of the most explosive dynamics TV can offer.
On the 14th, SBS dropped two striking two-character posters featuring Ko and Jang―the first visual from ‘The Mantis: Original Sin’ to frame the leads together. Side by side, their presence is nothing short of arresting.
In the posters, a single shaft of light cuts through the darkness as they sit together. Ko Hyun-jung’s hollow gaze appears emotionless at first glance, but a closer look suggests a grief so deep it swallows her whole. Jang Dong-yoon bows his head, his face buried in Ko’s lap―yet his eyes, charged with raw urgency, pierce through the gloom and command attention.
The imagery evokes a modern Pieta―made all the more provocative given their roles as mother and son. But this is no traditional tableau of sorrow and salvation; with a serial killer for a mother and a detective for a son, the emotional undercurrent promises something far thornier and more unsettling.
The copy lines seal the mood. “Warm, aren’t they? Those hands that killed five,” echoes the detective’s cutting line to the killer in a previously released teaser. “Help me. I’ll think like you. I’ll act like you,” reads like a desperate plea from a son who loathes his mother yet needs her twisted insight to catch the copycat―stoking anticipation for what’s to come.
Even as stills, the ‘Mantis’ two-character posters pack an undeniable punch, capturing the actors’ ferocious energy and hinting at a volatile, hurricane-force relationship at the heart of the drama. With each new drop, expectations only climb higher for the premiere.
‘The Mantis: Original Sin’ follows the currently airing ‘The Winning Try’ and premieres Friday, Sept. 5 at 9:50 p.m. on SBS.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)