A rapidly paced episode in the perspective of a normal working man, concluding with the normal working man meeting the privileged Queen. Their conversation was very fluent, very realistic and had incredibly written dialogue. The dissimilarity between the two was very evident. Their personalities, their physical appearances, etc.
31 Reviews
007
bevo-1367820 November 2020
Glad they did an episode on this
Kingslaay5 December 2020
I had read about this event a few years ago but didn't realise the story behind Mr Fagan. It was so unique to get this perspective. The whole show has revolved around the Crown and the government of the day making decisions that affect their subjects. In this episode we saw life from the very ordinary life of Fagan who was on a downward spiral. No fanfare or fancy cars, just a bloke down on his luck who rode public transport and had some problems. Interesting experience for the Queen and surprising how he bypassed security twice.
Fagan
ckckyang26 November 2020
Fagan is definitely the most interesting episode this season, not only because of its queer plot, but also because it's the most "commoners-focused" episode The Crown has ever delivered. The episode spends more than half an hour focusing on Fagan in the common settings. It's filled with classic British dry humor that I absolutely adored and the actor is extremely talented.
The choice of music in this episode, however, is is the main reason why I think this is one of the best episodes from The Crown. The songs from The Cure symbolizes the changing time in this era, foreshadowing the revolutionary concept of Punk Rock and Grunge music in the 90s, further constructing the weird position the crown represents in the modern world. It's an Interesting way to demonstrate the ongoing contradictory nature in traditional value of the crown during this changing era.
Wild!
Calicodreamin28 November 2020
Amazing actors and nuanced performance.
allenctroutman8 December 2020
Hey Folks. It's Fiction!
Hitchcoc13 December 2020
There isn't a thing on the face of the earth that doesn't have some bias. Let's realize that this is not a documentary! Historical fiction is just that. I think it would be wise for some to just stop here and discontinue watching because every episode in all four seasons is fiction. No one was in that bedroom. No one is there with the Queen and Philip to hear what they discussed in privacy. Yes, the country was in disarray, but with Margaret Thatcher there wasn't a hint of middle ground. How many wars have been started so some dictator could gain favor with the masses who are reeling from economic woes. Yes, this is an insignificant event, but it allows a personal look at what is going on. To give a one rating to this is ridiculous.
Very Important Episode.
rhyllannffiain15 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I remember this happening. I cannot help but feel how AMERICAN it seems, the whole situation. I fully expected Mr. Fagan to say, "People are just so MEAN."
What a surreal experience for both, that must have been. How desperate this man was. I'm not done with the episode. I hope she hires him for the glazing at the very least.
You can see the complete loss of kindness and simple civil courtesies people USED to give freely--it genuinely costs NOTHING--running right down the drain. I see how American the UK had become or was becoming in this one episode.
I never knew how this ended with this guy...let's see what happens. I hope he does not commit suicide.
What a surreal experience for both, that must have been. How desperate this man was. I'm not done with the episode. I hope she hires him for the glazing at the very least.
You can see the complete loss of kindness and simple civil courtesies people USED to give freely--it genuinely costs NOTHING--running right down the drain. I see how American the UK had become or was becoming in this one episode.
I never knew how this ended with this guy...let's see what happens. I hope he does not commit suicide.
Could have been interesting, wasn't
jhochstny19 May 2022
Gillian Anderson and the director seem to think Mrs Thatcher was an octogenarian stroke victim.
They might have mentioned in the end credits that Mr Fagan, a wannabe revolutionary at the time, was later convicted for assaulting a policeman and 14 years after spent four years behind bars for selling heroin. Would have punctured the picture of the normal young guy ruined by being abandoned by the nanny state. Perhaps this is what entertainment industry types think of as a normal person.
They might have mentioned in the end credits that Mr Fagan, a wannabe revolutionary at the time, was later convicted for assaulting a policeman and 14 years after spent four years behind bars for selling heroin. Would have punctured the picture of the normal young guy ruined by being abandoned by the nanny state. Perhaps this is what entertainment industry types think of as a normal person.
Best episode from season 4
adam_traynor30 January 2021
The intruder
TheLittleSongbird11 February 2023
Seasons 1 and 2 were quite excellent on the whole, with even the weakest episodes still being good. Season 3 started off rather slow and finished underwhelmingly, but it did have high points with "Aberfan" for example being one of the best episodes of 'The Crown' in my view. Still liked the show well enough to watch Season 4 and despite reservations actually liked it on the whole, more so than others did. Expectations for "Fagan" though admittedly were not high, the subject didn't sound that interesting and that it was one of the season's least well received episodes, but still watched it anyway.
"Fagan", in my view something of a filler episode, is above average and did have a lot of things that were good, with one scene in particular that made the episode above mediocre level. At the same time, it was somewhat disappointing and doesn't do an awful lot to make a subject that doesn't sound that interesting on paper and one that is pretty insignificant historically more appealing. Of Season 4's episodes, "Fagan" for me is one of the lesser ones and when it comes to 'The Crown' overall it's a lesser effort too.
It is too over deliberate in pace for my liking and too much of it feels like filler varying in necessity. Some parts were necessary, others simply there to pad out the length. Especially considering that it was an event that wasn't that significant and doesn't lend itself well to 50 minutes of television. 25 minutes maybe just about, at 50 or so minutes it felt too thin and stretched out.
There is a lack of tension as well, you'd think that having an intruder would cause a lot more than what was shown. Instead apart from one scene it was treated fairly indifferently and the writing can be very one sided with only one viewpoint being shown and one that was shown in a fairly played up for the sake of drama way.
Having said all of that, despite how all that sounds, "Fagan" is not a terrible episode. As ever the production values are superb. The production and costume design are both classy and sumptuous, but it's the photography that stands out in this regard. The music is not overbearing or low key. There is some thought provoking scripting and intrigue here and there.
Especially in the much talked about conversation between Elizabeth and the intruder, a brilliantly written and acted scene that had tension and sincerity. The whole episode is excellently acted throughout, and it was also very interesting seeing the class divide and the point of view of the working class. That really educated me and got me thinking.
Overall, not great but above average. 6/10.
"Fagan", in my view something of a filler episode, is above average and did have a lot of things that were good, with one scene in particular that made the episode above mediocre level. At the same time, it was somewhat disappointing and doesn't do an awful lot to make a subject that doesn't sound that interesting on paper and one that is pretty insignificant historically more appealing. Of Season 4's episodes, "Fagan" for me is one of the lesser ones and when it comes to 'The Crown' overall it's a lesser effort too.
It is too over deliberate in pace for my liking and too much of it feels like filler varying in necessity. Some parts were necessary, others simply there to pad out the length. Especially considering that it was an event that wasn't that significant and doesn't lend itself well to 50 minutes of television. 25 minutes maybe just about, at 50 or so minutes it felt too thin and stretched out.
There is a lack of tension as well, you'd think that having an intruder would cause a lot more than what was shown. Instead apart from one scene it was treated fairly indifferently and the writing can be very one sided with only one viewpoint being shown and one that was shown in a fairly played up for the sake of drama way.
Having said all of that, despite how all that sounds, "Fagan" is not a terrible episode. As ever the production values are superb. The production and costume design are both classy and sumptuous, but it's the photography that stands out in this regard. The music is not overbearing or low key. There is some thought provoking scripting and intrigue here and there.
Especially in the much talked about conversation between Elizabeth and the intruder, a brilliantly written and acted scene that had tension and sincerity. The whole episode is excellently acted throughout, and it was also very interesting seeing the class divide and the point of view of the working class. That really educated me and got me thinking.
Overall, not great but above average. 6/10.
Travesty
qvant24 December 2020
This episode was a travesty. It's blatant Hollywood propaganda rewriting other's history, pushing its slimy disconnected agenda.
I've never seen worst garbage in my life.
Was the idea to defame the Royals as unpatriotic? Completely unconcerned by the Falkland's war? Not proud of the British victory?
To slime Thatcher as a monster, inhuman, uncaring, obsessed only with herself?
The portrayal of the White working class is abominable. Michael Fagan was a bit of a prankster. He wasn't a down and under toady. He was also a heroin dealer, and a burglar. He never chatted with the queen. He was too high on magic mushrooms, and alcohol. He was stiff and he found it harder to get out of the Palace than in. The series could have shown how a day earlier he had been released from prison for a car theft, would have been honest.
If anything, the episode vilifies the English and the country. Pure garbage.
I've never seen worst garbage in my life.
Was the idea to defame the Royals as unpatriotic? Completely unconcerned by the Falkland's war? Not proud of the British victory?
To slime Thatcher as a monster, inhuman, uncaring, obsessed only with herself?
The portrayal of the White working class is abominable. Michael Fagan was a bit of a prankster. He wasn't a down and under toady. He was also a heroin dealer, and a burglar. He never chatted with the queen. He was too high on magic mushrooms, and alcohol. He was stiff and he found it harder to get out of the Palace than in. The series could have shown how a day earlier he had been released from prison for a car theft, would have been honest.
If anything, the episode vilifies the English and the country. Pure garbage.
Spoon-fed spoiler
rsrobin2115 December 2020
How infinitely more interesting the episode would have been if the main drama not been revealed right at the start. Such a shame. Still excellent but the tension would have been much more powerful had the viewer been allowed to put the pieces together for themselves.
Anti-Thatcher Agitprop
branthadaway17 November 2020
I've generally enjoyed The Crown, and have been willing to overlook its many historical inaccuracies in exchange for what have been some enjoyable performances. The "Fagan" episode, however, was an exception. First, building an entire episode around Michael Fagan's break-in seems gratuitous, as it takes the viewer on random detour from the more interesting aspects of the Royal Family's lives at that time.
Worse, rather than tell a story that is at least close to reality (Fagan was a comically absurd individual, and the fact that he was able to twice slip past Palace security was a story in of itself, which the episode unfortunately glosses over), series creator Peter Morgan uses Fagan as his personal sock-puppet to launch a rant against Margaret Thatcher. The result is complete nonsense that left me wishing I had spent that hour of my life doing something else.
Worse, rather than tell a story that is at least close to reality (Fagan was a comically absurd individual, and the fact that he was able to twice slip past Palace security was a story in of itself, which the episode unfortunately glosses over), series creator Peter Morgan uses Fagan as his personal sock-puppet to launch a rant against Margaret Thatcher. The result is complete nonsense that left me wishing I had spent that hour of my life doing something else.
Not so much The Crown but The Government this season
lbowdls21 September 2021
I did my first review 2 episodes ago, focusing on how many of the actors don't look like their characters and how it's really not that interesting as a show. I hate the way they gloss over important things that you tune into to find out about like wedding nights and more intimate details. No sure sometimes what the point really is of this series. We know it's not real anyway so what can't they feature it. It just seems like a bunch of conversations and vignettes from between long lapses of time. So I'm glad that they actually included this conversation between the queen and this guy. And unlike so many others on here I loved the detail and focus on the whole Fagan story it was actually the most interesting episode I've seen. (And I found myself really inspired by what Fagan achieved) it was a great inspired conversation they worked out between the two. This Episode really capturing the times. Too bad previous episodes and probably subsequent ones aren't and won't be as interesting as exacting as this one.
Another thing I do like about the Thatcher episode years is showing what a lovely down to earth person the Queen is despite to the contrary and in contrast to how ruthlessly mean Thatcher was and much more out of touch.
Another thing I do like about the Thatcher episode years is showing what a lovely down to earth person the Queen is despite to the contrary and in contrast to how ruthlessly mean Thatcher was and much more out of touch.
Peter Morgan used this episode to teach anti-war fantasy as a historical account.
genniexou7 December 2020
This episode isn't based on actual facts, and has been written to push an anti-war, anti-Thatcher agenda. Fagan has been interviewed after this episode aired and he admits that he never sat down and actually talked with the Queen. However, show creator Peter Morgan uses this episode to make Fagan a sympathetic, sane character that eloquently speaks throughout the episode against Thatcher and war.
Even though Peter Morgan doesn't like what Thatcher represented, it doesn't change the FACT that she was very popular. Please remember when watching all of this, we are watching Peter Morgan's love song to The Queen, and he will ultimately twist the events to put her in a positive light, at the expense of the others involved.
Even though Peter Morgan doesn't like what Thatcher represented, it doesn't change the FACT that she was very popular. Please remember when watching all of this, we are watching Peter Morgan's love song to The Queen, and he will ultimately twist the events to put her in a positive light, at the expense of the others involved.
Propaganda?
crumpytv23 January 2021
As a standalone drama I enjoyed this episode.
However, it is disappointing that the storyline followed the urban myth, originally propagated by Fleet Street, regarding the conversation between The Queen and Michael Fagan.
By Fagan's own admission this did not take place and I can't help but feel, as with the rest of the episode, that it was used as a vehicle to express the political views of the writer.
A lot of these views may be true, but it wasn't balanced.
Thatcher didn't do me any favours in the 1980s, in fact I emigrated, but the portrayal of her in this series is deeply flawed and I dislike her even more.
Why?
aslenodsnud16 November 2020
The Queen and the Intruder
Oktay_Tuna16 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Like the other episodes of The Crown this episode has great acting, editing, music and cinematography. Especially Olivia Colman was at her peak. Even though I quite liked this episode, I have to say that the first half is very slow and quite ordinary(which is very surprising considering it is The Crown). We start with a flash forward which took way more than it should have taken and after that flashback we just meander until Fagan and Elizabeth has a conversation. I mean the show does a good job at portraying who Fagan is but it just takes too long. The episode tries to give every detail like he drank the wine he hid behind the columns etc. I lost my attention at that point. Elizabeth and Fagan's conversation is brilliant though, the dialogue feels so natural. If they could have found a better and more intriguing way o tell the first half of the episode, it would've been excellent. As a side note: I understand that Fagan needs to be portrayed as ordinary but when told masterfully, ordinary can also become intriguing and interesting. For me Fagan's character suffered from this problem. Still, a great episode.
Crass, simplistic and crude political bias
Drew_ajj12 December 2020
Wow
darkdementress1 May 2021
too slow....
DramaQQ6 December 2020
This episode felt very slow like many others did as well (especially since season3). the only interesting scene was the conversation between Fagan and the Queen, but then I heard about the true story... There was no real conversation. The Queen just went to the phone to call for help, but no one answered the call so she quickly left the room and 3 minutes later the security arrested him. (Fagan said that in an interview). When I found out the truth about this I was really dissapointed that the episode didn't show us what really happened.
Too slow
mazzoon_12320 November 2020
This episode, like many others this season, feels to be too slow and filled with unnecessary silent scenes of people driving or looking through windows etc. The conversation between the Queen and Fagan was brilliant though, but probably that was the only interesting thing in the episode.
Season 4 continues political propaganda at expense of history
WTinCA18 November 2020
I'm starting to intensely dislike Peter Morgan for constantly spinning the scripts to fit his political views. In season 4 he is fully out in the open attacking the Monarchy and anything conservative while implicitly promoting socialist viewpoints. He should know better since his mother escaped from Communist Russia and his father escaped from socialist Nazi Germany. This story was just a waste of time, and not even historically accurate. Michael Fagan himself in a 2012 interview said that the Queen immediately left the room and he did not sit on her bed and have a conversation. In the end credits they conveniently neglected to mention that Fagan was later imprisoned in 1997 for selling heroin. Margaret Thatcher and the Falklands War deserved more time than just bashing conservatives. She inherited a terrible economic situation. The war was a hard won victory with a great expense in deaths and loss of ships. They should have given a more even handed telling of that story instead of preaching. What started as one of the best shows on television has deteriorated into just another vehicle for rewriting history and painting the true complexities in only black and white. People will learn nothing of British history from this show except Peter Morgan's obvious and heavy handed extreme left wing bias. Such a shame. The actors are all excellent and the production qualities are great. It should be a 10, but when people decide to rewrite history for their own agenda I have to give it a 1.
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