Diksha Sundriyal
Hulu’s ‘Good American Family’ presents the frayed picture of the Barnett family that goes through a considerable change after a new member is added to it. When Michael and Kristine Barnett adopted Natalia Grace, they thought she would make their lives whole. By the fourth episode, however, Kristine is convinced that Natalia is evil and will kill her and her sons if she is allowed to do what she wants. So far, Michael remains resistant to accepting Kristine’s side of the story, but the way the events unfold in this episode, he is forced to change his mind as well. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Natalia Threatens Kristine’s Literary Endeavour
The fourth episode of ‘Good American Family’ begins with Kristine looking back at the early days of her relationship with Michael. In conversation with Valika, she reveals that her now ex-husband used to have lows where he would become suicidal, and she would often have to drag him back from the ledge. After a while, she realized that the only way to make him feel better was to allow him to think that he was needed by the helpless Kristine. After this, they got married, and Kristine knew how to push his buttons. His new wife, however, doesn’t seem to have that knowledge. Kristine also believes that it was his new wife who made him talk to the cops, and now, he, too, is in trouble for the very thing that he was trying to pin on his ex-wife.
Going back to the year 2011, it has been about two since Natalia’s adoption, and Kristine is done with her. While Michael is still looking for a new job, Kristine’s career is soaring. She lands a deal with a major publishing house that wants to have a book written about her life, especially in the context of raising Jacob. Kristine has a meeting with the ghostwriter, but she does not want her to see Natalia. It is Michael’s job to get her out of the house because Kristine is convinced that Natalia will try to sabotage the meeting one way or another.
Before Michael can do as he is asked, a knock at the door distracts the couple. Kristine believes it is the ghostwriter, but she is shocked to discover two people from Child Protective Services standing at her door. Apparently, someone called them to report the Barnetts of child abuse. They inspect the house, and Natalia tells them about a surgery she is supposed to have soon, which is interesting because shortly before they showed up, Kristine had made clear that she would not pay for any surgeries. But now that the CPS is involved, they have to go forward with it.
When the ghostwriter arrives, Kristine takes her away from the house, and they have a long chat in the cafe, especially about her and Michael’s marriage and how they have been a rock for each other. While Kristine paints the picture of an idyllic relationship, she doesn’t reveal all the conflict that has been brewing between them since Natalia’s arrival. Meanwhile, the girl gets her surgery, and Michael is completely dedicated to helping her get better as soon as possible. After several meetings, the ghostwriter asks to be shown around her house, which is when Natalia does what Kristine is afraid of.
Michael Sees a Different Side of Natalia
While Kristine is busy talking to the ghostwriter, Natalia goes out and starts throwing the boys’ toys into the traffic, leading Kristine’s sons to walk into the middle of the road without realizing that they might be hit by the cars. While Kristine puts a stop to it, she also becomes conscious of the fact that the very thing she was trying to hide has come out. She tries to convince the writer that talking about Natalia would ruin the book. In return, she gets the assurance that nothing that she doesn’t want will go in the book, but she needs to do something about her situation before it gets worse and people start to find out about it.
Scared for her children’s lives, Kristine packs up their bags and leaves with them for her mother’s house. Michael is forced to stay behind with Natalia, whom he still believes to be innocent. His wife’s departure shocks him, and he tries to find ways to convince her to come back home. When he has an important interview on a video call, he tells Natalia to sit tight and not disturb him. He made the mistake of mentioning that if the meeting went well, Kristine and the boys would come back home. Sure enough, the meeting is interrupted when a cop knocks at his door because someone called 911.
It is clear that Natalia called them, and this lands Michael in a bit of an awkward situation with the cop, who is not happy being prank-called. At first, Natalia says that she called 911 because she wanted pizza. Then she says she did it because she was bored. When Michael says that without the job, Kristine and the boys will not come back, she tells him that she doesn’t want them to come back; she wants them to die. This removes the blinds from Michael’s eyes, and he sees Natalia from his wife’s perspective. He realizes that Kristine is right when she accuses Natalia of calling the CPS. The next day, he drives up to meet with Kristine and convince her to come back because he believes her now.
Michael and Kristine Find a Way to Get Rid of Natalia
Now that Michael is convinced that Natalia is an evil incarnate, he agrees to take her to a psychiatric facility. Meanwhile, Kristine and the boys go back home, but when Michael returns, Natalia is still with him. It turns out that the place he took her to was closed. He assures Kristine that he will take the girl to another place in the morning, but they will have to keep her in the house for the night. While it is only a matter of one night, Kristine cannot sleep soundly, knowing Natalia is out and about. So, they locked her in the garage, where they left all the essentials for her to last the night. However, Natalia refuses to go down without a fight, and she screams and shouts to be let out.
Kristine tries to drown her screams with TV, but then the power goes out, and soon after, an officer knocks at their door. He reveals that the neighbors have complained about the screams, which is when the Barnetts confess that they have put their adopted daughter in the garage for the night. They try to explain the entire situation to him and even show him her birth certificate and other documents that they believe to be fake. Against all odds, the officer believes them. He tells them to get official medical confirmation of Natalia being an adult and then have her age updated legally to make sure that they can still be her legal guardian. She is not simply passed off to another family.
The next morning, Natalia is sent to a psychiatric facility, where she remains until Kristine and Michael have come up with a more permanent solution. They get the doctors, most of whom they already know, to confirm that Natalia is, in fact, an adult. Then, they get a judge to sign an order that officially makes her an adult, which means that there will be no threats of complaints about child abuse. With her no longer being a child, the CPA cannot bother them. Moreover, now that she is an adult, she can live by herself. So, they get her an apartment, they buy all the essential stuff for her, and then they leave her there to fend for herself.
Read More: Good American Family: True Story of Natalia Grace, Explained
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