HuluGood American Family has reached its finale with Episode 8, ‘Blood On Her Hands’, bringing the story of Natalia Grace and her battle with Kristine and Michael Barnett to a close.
In Episode 7, Natalia faced a legal blow when the judge ruled against her request to be re-aged to her actual birth year: 2003. However, years later, Detective Brandon Drysdale picked up the case again and made some shocking discoveries.
Firstly, the Barnetts’ family doctor simply went along with Kristine’s claims. When Brandon followed up with a team of specialists, they all said the same thing: Natalia was definitely a child when she was adopted by the Barnetts.
The final scene took us to 2020, when Natalia finally had the chance to share her truth on Dr. Phil, alongside her new adoptive parents, Cynthia and Antwon Mans. Warning: spoilers ahead!
Dr. Phil continued
HuluGood American Family Episode 8 picks up where we left off, with Natalia, Cynthia, and Antwon on Dr. Phil. Natalia explains that she was a child when she was adopted by the Barnetts.
Dr. Phil wants to know why a seemingly nice family would do such a thing, at which point Cynthia interjects, “Listen, when Natalia first got with us, there were some moments where she would act out.
“I’d feel like, ‘How am I gonna deal with this because this girl’s been broken?’” Cynthia turns to Natalia and reassures her that she’s “not a burden.”
“Kristine adopted her as a project, and when things got rough and she couldn’t be the role model mom she thought she was, she had to find a way to get rid of her,” she adds.
Finally, Dr. Phil asks about her reason for wanting to take the Barnetts to court. At this stage, Natalia’s 16 years old and she can’t get her childhood back. However, now she wants justice.
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No one can vouch for Kristine Barnett
HuluKristine, Michael, Jen, and their lawyers are watching the interview from their meeting room, trying to figure out how to approach the trial.
Michael’s lawyer Terrance points out that while they are viewed favorably in the “court of public opinion,” the court of law is a whole different beast.
Things only grow more complex when it comes to building their case. Why? Because they have no witnesses who can verify what they claim about Natalia being a) a sociopath and b) an adult when they adopted her.
The First Paths adoption center would help towards discrediting Natalia but it wouldn’t confirm anything. Any medical professionals outside of Dr. Stephen Lawrence all agree that Natalia was a child.
Dr. Walker, the head at the elementary school Natalia attended, says Kristine’s claims are false and that Natalia was the “sweetest kid.” The pediatric nurse at Larue Psychiatric Hospital confirms she was horrified at having to move Natalia to the adult wing.
Her former adoptive mother in New Jersey makes similar comments, confirming Natalia was a child and the only reason they had to give her up is that they couldn’t meet her needs, alluding to the idea that Kristine had borrowed her theory from the horror movie Orphan.
Finally, Natalia’s former neighbor expresses the guilt she feels after discovering Natalia was a child at the time.
Kristine stands firm on her allegations, disparaging every single witness vouching for Natalia – but her attitude certainly won’t help with the case.
Natalia Grace has a bright idea
HuluOn the other side, Natalia, Cynthia, Antwon, Brandon, and prosecutor Ms Starbuck are watching these testimonials, happy to see people finally on Natalia’s side.
However, Starbuck points out that they shouldn’t be so confident just yet – they still need a clear reason for why the Barnetts did something so awful. While Brandon has been scouring Kristine and Michael’s text messages, he’s found nothing.
But this gives Natalia an idea. “Kristine lives on Facebook,” she says, and so they decide to subpoena their FB messages just two days before the trial.
Meanwhile, Michael has a post-meeting chat with his new wife Jen. He’s the first to be on trial, facing charges of child neglect and neglect of a dependent. Depending on the outcome, it will impact the following trial against Kristine.
Terrance heads over to the pair and offers him a “nuclear option”, should they need it: if the case doesn’t go their way, Michael could testify against Kristine in exchange for immunity.
Jen’s all for it, but Michael’s not sure about testifying against the mother of his three children (despite the fact that she still won’t let him see them).
Val starts to doubt Kristine
HuluKristine is none the wiser right now. At Val’s place, she tries to convince her best friend to be a witness, having ruled out every other person on the list. Val’s game, until she realizes Kristine’s asking her to commit perjury.
“You know, the lawyers say if Mike gets off, they’ll drop my charges too,” Kristine explains, with Val saying of course she’ll be willing to take the stand and sing her praises.
But Kristine says it will mainly involve “talking about Natalia and what you saw, how violent she was and manipulative, and how she was a threat to me and my family.”
Val looks confused, stating, “Right, sorry, I’m just trying to think. I don’t know that I actually saw saw any of the incidents… that’s all stuff that you told me. I can’t go into court and say things that I didn’t see, right?” Kristine agrees, but you can tell she’s furious.
The most incriminating messages
HuluEpisode 8 of the Hulu series follows up with the Facebook messages – it’s a great, albeit horrifying, piece of evidence. Kristine and Michael’s exchanges are truly awful, much to the dismay of Terrance, who points out that they repeatedly refer to Natalia as a “m*dget.”
Michael and Kristine claim they didn’t know it was a bad word, but it’s hard to believe – especially with an entire table’s worth of transcripts spouting horrible comments about their adopted daughter, who they also described as “that thing.”
When we cut to Natalia’s reaction, she’s understandably hurt and detective Brandon tries to comfort her. It’s revealed Michael even sent a message to Kristine saying he’s got a video of her “whipping the hell out of Natalia in the living room when you tried to beat the truth out of her.”
“I knew it was bad, but the words they used, I hate that you have to see all this,” says Brandon. “It’s the way a lot of people talk about people like me,” Natalia replies.
He tells her that she doesn’t have to go to court if it’s too much, but Natalia insists, “When I tell you I can handle this, I need you to listen.”
Kristine and Michael reunite
HuluAfter the shock of the messages, Kristine agrees to drive Michael home and they get into an argument and blame each other.
Michael tells Kristine about the immunity deal and she goes into full manipulation mode. “I don’t think you want me to go to jail, do you? Can you live with that? The boys having no mother?” she says.
When Michael hesitates, she invites him back to their family home to go through the transcripts together. But their three sons are home and they aren’t happy to see their dad. Turns out, Kristine told them that he hurt her.
They go upstairs and Michael has a realization: with no witnesses backing her up, maybe Kristine really did make the whole age situation up. Rather than taking responsibility, he does what he always does and places all the blame on his ex-wife.
He starts having a panic attack, with Kristine comforting him through it. When he calms down, she tells him, “You can’t let them get into your head. Don’t let them undo all the good you did. Natalia was lying, she was dangerous.”
She then plays into his ego, calling him a good man and father, and the pair grow closer. But just as they’re about to kiss, their sons burst in saying they’re hungry.
Natalia’s biological mother comes forward
HuluThey all go out for a family meal and the vibes are awkward to say the least, as the boys still believe their dad is the enemy.
During dinner, Michael gets a call from Terrance, who tells him to check his messages. He discovers that the Daily Mail has managed to get in contact with Natalia’s birth mother, Anna Gava, from Ukraine.
The report corroborates Natalia’s version of events: she was born in 2003. It could be the “death knell” of his case, and it’s enough to convince Michael to take the immunity deal if it all goes wrong. As Terrance points out, Kristine absolutely would do the same if the tables were turned.
Natalia is understandably shocked at the report, which features the same quotes as the real-life Daily Mail article. Anna said that doctors urged her to give Natalia up when she was born, suggesting she wouldn’t be able to afford the surgeries – and it’s a decision she regrets every day.
Kristine is trying to brush it off, telling Jacob, “I don’t read lies.” But burying her head in the sand can only last for so long.
The trial takes a turn for the worse
HuluAt the pre-trial hearing, things take a sharp turn. Starbuck requests a postponement to allow time for a DNA test on Natalia’s birth mother in Ukraine, hoping to introduce new evidence that could reinforce Natalia’s age.
Terrance, however, has found a snippet of information that changes everything: the State declined the opportunity to appeal the ruling of Natalia’s age five years prior, in 2017.
This was due to Cynthia convincing Natalia that it was too much of a burden on her at the time. And while they now have ample evidence to prove Natalia was a child, the judge rules in favor of the Barnetts.
“This court will not set a precedent for a criminal case to attack civil decisions, especially ones that have been upheld so many times,” he says. “So I hereby grant the defence’s motion to dismiss the four charges that rely on Ms. Barnett being a child.”
Essentially, Mike could have been charged with neglect of a child, but since the re-aging aspect is no longer valid, they have been dropped.
The remaining four charges concerning a legal dependent still hold, but with a heavy caveat: Natalia may not be referred to as a child, any reference to her schooling and the word adoption are barred, and the topic of re-aging is off limits.
Worst of all, given Natalia’s legal age, the statute of limitations means any offenses that took place prior to 2014 are ruled out – which is after the allegations against the Barnetts played out.
The Barnetts win the battle…
HuluAfter a recess, they return to court to deal with the remaining charges, but the trial is, well, a complete sh*tshow. Every witness, from doctors and neighbors to teachers and friends, all have their testimony ruled out due to the strict limitations.
Every objection from Michael’s side is sustained, leaving Natalia’s team with essentially no case. Due to this, the jury finds Michael not guilty and he’s free to go.
Following this devastating blow, Natalia sits in the stairwell of the courtroom while Cynthia tries to comfort her. Natalia has been wronged so many times that she tries to push her new mom away and place the blame on her.
Cynthia insists, “I love you. I don’t think you want to push me away,” but Natalia retorts, “I’m a grown ass woman now. You can’t tell me what I want.” And so Cynthia decides to give her some space.
… Natalia wins the war
HuluThough Michael wins the case, it’s clear the public sides with Natalia. Online, Kristine is bombarded with hateful messages, and even Val – once her staunchest ally – begins to question whether Natalia might’ve been telling the truth all along.
She points out Natalia’s adult appearance on the stand, highlighting how much she’d grown up since she was at the Barnetts’ home (which wouldn’t have happened if she was 22 years old at the time).
Kristine decides to move her and Jacob out of Val’s place. During the car journey, Jacob also comes to the realization that his mom was lying. “I remember what you did to Natalia,” he says.
Once again, Kristine tries to manipulate the situation, saying he’s too young to remember and that she shielded him from it. “But you didn’t,” he replies. “I saw it, and I’m not certain how to live with that.”
The public finally know the truth
HuluIn the aftermath of the trial, Natalia visits Michael looking for answers – not legal ones, but emotional ones. She asks if he knew she was just a child, and why he didn’t protect her.
Rather than taking accountability, Michael insists they were both victims of Kristine, claiming they faced “the same monster.” But Natalia points out, “Michael, I was a kid. You were supposed to be my dad.”
Anyone who’s seen The Curious Case of Natalia Grace will know that Natalia never got that closure she needed from Michael, who similarly referred to them as having the “same monster”.
Their conversation is interrupted when Kristine shows up asking to stay, but she receives a hard no – after all, Michael’s new wife Jen lives there now.
Jacob interjects to apologize to Natalia. “She made us scared of you but you were a kid,” he says. “I’m very sorry.” Natalia replies, “It’s okay, you were just a kid too.”
Kristine grows frustrated and tells Jacob they’re going to her mom’s, but he doesn’t want to go with her. Mike agrees to let him stay there instead, leaving Kristine all alone.
HuluNatalia leaves too and heads home, where she’s greeted by her adoptive siblings. They read aloud messages of support pouring in from people all over the world. “I feel so bad I ever doubted you,” one says. “You’re such a fighter,” reads another.
For the first time in a long time, Natalia smiles. She may not have won the court case, but in the eyes of the public, the truth has finally come out – and Natalia Grace is no longer alone.
Good American Family is streaming on Hulu now, while The Curious Case of Natalia Grace can be watched on Max. You can also check out the new documentaries dropping this month and the TV shows coming to streaming.