This review contains detailed spoilers about the plot and characters of ‘Missing Crown Prince’. If you haven’t watched the series yet, we recommend viewing it first to fully enjoy our analysis.

The Crown Prince is kidnapped by mistake by a desperate father trying to save his daughter from a tragic fate.  While the Royal Physician’s plan seems to go wrong from the very beginning, it throws the Prince into an adventure with the man’s beautiful daughter.  And when the Prince returns to the palace, he will find that his future as a ruler is in jeopardy from enemies within his own family, and that his destiny with the woman is much more complicated than they could have imagined.  

Choi Myung Yoo grew up at the knee of her father, the Royal Physician.  As she got older, she began working at the local clinic.  When she finds out that her father kidnapped a man to try to break Myung Yoo’s unfortunate fate, she steps in to help the man escape.  But she soon finds out that the man is no other than the Crown Prince, her intended husband.  And as she gets to know him, she also begins to hope for a destiny that includes a marriage to the Prince.  But their lives are entangled not just by an ill-fated curse, but also by a secret that could destroy both of their families.  

Choi Myung Yoo is strong and fiercely independent.  She had no desire to become the Crown Princess until she met and fell in love with the Prince himself.  Hong Ye Ji did a nice job in this role, although I didn’t feel much chemistry between her and Suho.  But her sassy, carefree portrayal was enjoyable.  

3. Different Choices:

It was interesting the way they continued to compare Lee Gon and Myung Yoo with the Dowager and Choi Sang Rok.  And while their ill-fates seemed very similar, the choices they made really defined who each couple was.  In the end, Lee Gon and Myung Yoo chose their own happiness, far from Royal politics rather than any need for power or prestige.  

3. Spin-off?:

Another “labeling” issue I had, was calling this drama a spin-off of “Bossam: Steal the Fate”.  While the writers are the same, and they both reference the idea of bossam kidnapping, the similarities end there.  The plots and characters seem completely unrelated.  Again, this isn’t a problem with the drama itself, but it certainly may have given fans inaccurate expectations.

‘Missing Crown Prince’ has gives our leads a happy ending, living free from palace politics.  But first, the King finally wakes up from his coma.  Do Sung’s grandfather is arrested and beheaded for acts of treason.  And Choi Sang Rok is killed trying to escape the palace with the Dowager.  Later we see the Dowager die after giving birth to a daughter.  And we see Do Sung find a letter from his brother saying that the throne is his. 

It seems that the writers finally remembered in the final few minutes that they had billed this a comedy.  The ending scenes show Lee Gon and Myung Yoo living together and running a clinic.  They are raising not only their own child, but also Myung Yoo’s young sister.  The now-healthy King and Queen come for a visit, eager to see their grandchildren.  But when Do Sung shows up to yell at his brother for something he has done, everyone scatters, laughing and enjoying the joke.  

Missing Crown Prince is a romantic historical drama that is a spin-off of the drama ‘Bossam: Steal the Fate”. It has a unique story and characters that I enjoyed, and the leads did a nice job.  The focus on family relationships and the royal family themselves, rather than only using them as instruments of palace intrigue, gave it a more human emphasis that was interesting.  Although I felt like the drama would have been better with fewer episodes and the chemistry between the leads was a bit flat.  I give “Missing Crown Prince’ an 8 out of 10 ramen.

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