1 day Ago By Daisy Phillipson
In Good American Family Episode 4, ‘Right There in Black and White’, Kristine and Michael Barnett reach a decision, and the process of having Natalia Grace’s age changed begins. The controversial new Hulu series is based on the true story told in ID’s docu-series The Curious Case of Natalia Grace , centering on Natalia’s adoption by the Barnetts in 2010. In Episode 3, Kristine grew ever-more convinced that Natalia is an adult masquerading as a child.
Even though this has been disproven in real life ( Natalia was born in 2003 ), due to the court cases against the Barnetts being dismissed, Good American Family has to base the plot on allegations. The first half mostly concerns Kristine and Michael’s side, and that includes the latest Episode 4, so it’s worth keeping this in mind as the events unfold. If you’re not familiar with the story, warning: spoilers ahead! Kristine prepares for her book deal Good American Family Episode 4 kicks off in 2019, as Kristine speaks with her friend Val about her past with Michael.
Kristine’s convinced she can manipulate him by sending him nudes, saying, “We both know he’s the one who’s always needed me.” Back in the past timeline, Kristine’s preparing for her ghost writer to come over. Her career is taking off as the mother of Jacob, a child genius with autism, and now she’s set to publish a book about her experiences called The Spark.
There’s a slight issue, though – Child Protective Services (CPS) show up just before the ghost writer is due. Michael and Kristine are convinced they’ve got the wrong house, but the officers insist on speaking with all four of their children, including Natalia, individually. Related Secret Hallmark episode ‘confirms’ three major theories for The Way Home Season 4 Once they’ve confirmed there’s nothing suspicious, the CPS officers leave, and Kristine immediately blames Natalia.
She tells Michael to take her upstairs and keep her away during her book meeting. When the writer shows up, there’s a loud banging from upstairs, so Kristine convinces her to head to a cafe for their chat. They sit down, and Kristine gives her the PR version of her life.
She describes her seemingly idyllic marriage to Michael, which is cut between scenes of them having screaming arguments. The writer explains that she’s got what she needs to make a good book, but before she gets started, she insists on seeing Kristine in her home environment. They get back to the house, and all seems to be fine.
.. until Jacob runs in shouting, “Mom, you have to come now.
” They all head outside to find Natalia throwing her younger brothers Ethan and Wesley’s toys into oncoming traffic. Wesley runs out to retrieve his favorite toy and nearly gets hit by a truck, which swerves out of the way just in the nick of time. Once the dust has settled, Kristine tells the ghost writer everything.
Luckily for Kristine, this book is in her hands. As the writer says, “Natalia would hardly be the first secret kid that I have buried.” Even though her book’s saved, the same can’t be said for Kristine and Michael’s marriage.
She decides to pack her bags and take the three boys to her mom Almeda’s house, leaving Michael alone with Natalia. Natalia calls the cops Earlier on in Good American Family , we found out that Michael had been fired. Now, he’s set for a big interview (via Skype), so he explains to Natalia how important it is for there to be “no funny business.
” She agrees, except when he tells her that if he gets the job, the family will go back to normal. During the interview, there’s a loud banging at the door. Turns out, Natalia’s called the cops asking for pizza.
Michael manages to convince the officer to let it slide, but by the time he gets back to his laptop, his would-be employer has hung up. When he confronts Natalia, she tells him that she wants the rest of the family dead, making him have doubts about her intentions. Meanwhile, at Almeda’s house, she and Kristine are getting into an argument, and we learn more about Kristine’s messed up childhood.
She accuses Almeda of not doing enough to protect her from her “sick” father, and that she should have divorced him. During their argument, Michael shows up with Natalia. Kristine pulls Natalia to the side, asking her what it will take for her to “go away” and accusing her of manipulating them into paying for her surgeries.
The scene cuts to Michael and the boys, who are interrupted by the sounds of Kristine screaming. She’s suffered a burn after falling onto an electric fence, accusing Natalia of pushing her. After an ambulance visit, Kristine tells Michael, “You do realize she tried to kill me.
” Michael finally agrees with Kristine’s version of events and begs her to forgive him. “It’s okay, you’re not an idiot. I’m the idiot,” she replies.
“I let her break our family apart. You were just trying to keep us together.” Michael says, “You were right.
She’s a freakin’ psycho. We can’t take her home.” They agree that they can’t go to the police as they’re convinced Natalia will bend the story.
Instead, they’re going to take her to a psychiatric facility. The age change begins Later that night, Michael returns with Natalia, explaining he’s been unable to find a place for her. He’s going to try again in the morning, and for the time being, they lock Natalia in their garage.
Natalia bangs on the walls and screams, leading to complaints from the neighbors. Eventually, a detective shows up and takes a look around, reminding them there’s an open CPS investigation on their address. Before he gets to the garage, Kristine gives him the usual spiel.
She claims she only adopted Natalia out of the kindness of her heart, and that Natalia is a psychopathic adult masquerading as a child to con them. But the deciding factor is when she says they’re a “Christian family,” a fact that appeals to the detective. After speaking with Natalia, he not only sides with the Barnetts but also gives them a plan of action.
“There’s a legal process to correct someone’s birth date,” he says. Michael asks, “So you can just do that?” To which the detective replies, “It’s basically just correcting a clerical error. Then you can make her legal age match the age she is.
” What follows is a montage of the process, which first involves meeting with doctors and lawyers. One doctor writes them a letter, the Barnetts take this to a judge, and, just like that, Natalia’s age is changed from eight to 22 years old. Next, Kristine and Barnett pack up Natalia’s belongings and move her into an apartment on her own.
They are still her legal guardians, meaning they’ll organize having her rent and bills paid (using her own disability allowance) and pay her occasional visits. Finally, they bid farewell to their adopted daughter, with Kristine warning Natalia not to lie. “If anyone asks, you can tell them you look young but you’re actually an adult.
” Fact vs fiction in Good American Family Episode 4 As said, Good American Family is fictitious and deals with the allegations made from both sides. But what we know for certain is that Natalia had a very difficult upbringing, having been passed from home to home. Thanks to extensive DNA testing, we now know that Natalia was a child when she was adopted by the Barnetts in 2010.
She was born in 2003, making her around nine years old when she was moved into an inaccessible apartment alone in 2012. In real life, the Barnetts did previously accuse Natalia of trying to kill Kristine by pushing her into an electric fence at a farm. However, employees at the farm confirmed in The Curious Case of Natalia Grace that there were never any threats made by Natalia as the Barnetts had claimed, and that the electric fence wasn’t even switched on.
It’s also worth noting that Michael later changed his version of events to accuse Kristine of abusing Natalia, describing his ex-wife as a “monster.” Good American Family is eight episodes long, meaning we can expect a switch in perspectives from next week. Find out exactly when the next episode drops with our guide to the release schedule .
You can also read about why Kristine faced backlash for endorsing the show , if Natalia’s later adoptive parents, Cynthia and Antwon Mans, went to jail , and find all of the new true crime heading to streaming this month..
