Good American Family attempts to tell the highly complex and controversial true story of Natalia Grace, with Episode 3 continuing the perspective of her former adoptive parents, Kristine and Michael Barnett.
For those who have followed the saga ever since ID’s Curious Case of Natalia Grace docu-series debuted in 2023, it’s worth noting that Hulu’s adaptation aims to present both sides of the case.
A disclaimer played at the start of each episode states that Good American Family “reflects and dramatizes multiple conflicting points of view, and does not intend to suggest that any particular allegation is the whole truth.”
This framing sets the stage for a series that blurs the line between fact and interpretation. But if you’re curious about how the show measures up to reality, we’ve broken down the key events of Good American Family Episode 3 and how they compare to the real-life case. Warning: some may find this content distressing and spoilers ahead.
Kristine Barnett faces charges
The episode opens in 2019, shortly after Kristine was arrested. She’s released on bond and spending time with her three sons, but when she walks through the door, she finds them watching a news report about the case.
Kristine is facing eight counts of neglect for abandoning Natalia. Jacob asks his mom how they found enough evidence to arrest her if none of it’s true, but she alleges it’s their dad’s fault.
Speaking of which, Michael is enjoying the news with his new wife Jen. But his schadenfreude is cut short when he gets a call from detective Brandon Drysdale, who tells him prosecutors are gearing up to file felony charges against him too.
Fact check
Yes, Michael and Kristine Barnett were arrested and faced charges of neglect of a dependent after police discovered how they had treated Natalia. And yes, the Barnetts turned against each other, although the cases were dismissed due to insufficient evidence.
However, it didn’t quite play out like it does in Good American Family. Rather than arresting Kristine at a work event and taking Michael down later, Michael turned himself in on September 18, 2019, and Kristine followed suit the next day.
Natalia Grace age debate intensifies
HuluIn Good American Family Episodes 1-2, Kristine began questioning Natalia’s age after discovering she had pubic hair. This is continued in Episode 3 of the Hulu series when we travel back to 2010.
The Barnetts take Natalia to their family doctor Steve, who is apprehensive about Kristine’s claim that their daughter is an adult, as is Michael. What he does point out is that Natalia is in desperate need of surgical intervention.
This leaves Kristine and Michael shocked. After all, they paid the First Path Adoption Center $7000 for her previous “surgeries,” but the doctor confirms Natalia – who has a rare form of dwarfism – has no scars.
This leads Kristine to admit to Michael that she found out First Path is facing a class action lawsuit for promising the same child to multiple families, potential trafficking, and changing ages on birth certificates.
She uses this to back her argument: that Natalia is an adult posing as a child. Michael’s still not buying it, but Steve has a change of heart. He says he regrets not trusting her intuition about her autistic son Jacob and wants to change that with Natalia, promising to get her some referrals.
The following weeks involve visits with orthopedists, endocrinologists, neuropsychologists, and the dentist. And according to Kristine, they all said Natalia has the skull size and teeth of an adult and has been through puberty.
She also claims that despite trying every plan and regiment under the sun, Natalia’s behavior isn’t improving.
Fact check
While it’s true Kristine and Michael took Natalia to see medical specialists, according to a 2019 affidavit of probable cause filed in the County of Tippecanoe in Indiana, a doctor estimated Natalia’s age to be approximately eight years old in 2010.
Then, in June 2012, Natalia had a skeletal survey carried out at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, which estimated Natalia’s age to be approximately 11 years old.
In The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, she is able to undergo more extensive testing, which proved that Natalia had baby teeth and the skeletal structure of a child during her time with the Barnetts.
Her date of birth has since been legally restored to her 2003 birth year, making her 21 years old as of March 2025. This means that when the Barnetts moved Natalia into an inaccessible apartment alone, she was just nine years old.
Additionally, First Path Adoption is a made-up organization. However, according to Michael, the agency they adopted Natalia from only gave them 24 hours’ notice and gave them very little background information.
Sociopathy vs RAD
HuluIn Good American Family Episode 3, Kristine and Michael decide to see a therapist, who explains that if Natalia is over 18, her behavior would suggest sociopathy.
However, if she’s a child, she could have RAD (reactive attachment disorder), a rare mental health condition in children where they struggle to form healthy emotional bonds with guardians, often due to early neglect or abuse.
Given Natalia was abandoned in a Ukrainian orphanage before being brought to the US and passed from home-to-home, this seems like the likeliest explanation, but Kristine is more sold on the sociopath idea.
But she’s up against Michael, who would rather try the therapist’s suggestion: reattachment therapy. It’s a time consuming but potentially rewarding way to rewire a child with RAD’s brain to teach them that their love is safe.
It involves infanting a child, no matter what their age. That means treating them like a baby and bottle feeding them.
When Michael tries giving it a go, Natalia’s having none of it and screams, “I’m not a baby.” Kristine tells Natalia to take a walk around the block despite her disability, remaining determined to find out how old she is.
Later, she looks up adoption scams online, and submits a records request about Natalia’s international birth certificate.
She then starts doing some housework, and while putting Natalia’s washing away, she finds a series of bloodied socks hidden in her cupboard, convincing her that Natalia’s started her period.
Fact check
IDThe discussion of sociopathy versus RAD in Good American Family is one of the more accurate aspects of the show. However, while the Barnetts did claim that Natalia was a sociopath who was manipulating them, medical professionals never diagnosed her with the disorder.
In The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, legal analyst Beth Karas says that Natalia was diagnosed with RAD back in 2010.
As for the claim that Natalia had started her period, this is purely an allegation from Kristine. There is no verified medical proof that Natalia ever menstruated during her time with the Barnetts.
Michael Barnett grapples with the truth
HuluThings are falling apart for Michael. As we found out in Good American Family Episodes 1-2, his dream job at Circuit City is coming to an end. By the third episode, he’s still struggling to break the news to Kristine.
Jen convinces him to tell the truth, and so he sits outside their home preparing what he’s going to say. However, as Kristine drives Natalia home from school, she starts probing her about the bloodied socks.
As the questions turn to her period, Natalia grows increasingly frustrated. She lunges forward and covers Kristine’s eyes, causing her to drive into a mailbox.
Michael runs over to find out what happened, but Natalia claims she’s innocent and only did it because “mommy was being mean.”
Kristine decides she’s had enough, and heads to her friend Val’s with their sons. While there, Val compares what Kristine’s going through to a new horror movie she read about: Orphan.
Later on, Kristine takes part in an interview with Channel 11, who have come to the home to learn more about her role raising Jacob – a child prodigy with an IQ of 170.
HuluIt’s all going smoothly, until Kristine spots something in the background: a bloodied tampon. She later confronts Natalia with Michael present, accusing her of leaving it there to sabotage the interview.
“Children don’t know how to manipulate like this. You are not seven, admit it. How old are you?” she screams, before announcing that “things need to change.”
Kristine decides to try a new strategy: Tough Loving Your Teenager, a behavioral regime thought up by an ex-military officer. She orders Natalia to clean the kitchen, and when she refuses, she’s made to stand up against the wall while Kristine films her.
Natalia lets slip that Michael has been lying to her about losing his job. Kristine tells her to take another walk around the block and looks online, only to discover Natalia’s telling the truth.
Fact check
The problem with depicting at-home arguments in the TV show is that it’s all based on allegations, which is why it’s going with a multiple perspectives angle.
What we do know is that Michael struggled in his career due to Circuit City’s closure, and Kristine did take part in interviews about Jacob.
There is also video evidence of Kristine punishing Natalia by making her stand against a wall, as shown in The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, though the full extent of this ‘tough love’ approach remains unclear.
Poisonings and paperwork
HuluKristine gets a letter from Homeland Security, but before she can tell Michael, Natalia comes back and says she’s ready to clean now.
While Natalia wipes down a table in the kitchen, Kristine gets a call from a producer in New York – they want to interview her and Jacob on the show. As she’s talking, she heads into the kitchen and takes a sip of her mug, only to spit it back out.
She claims Natalia’s tried to poison her, but Michael is still hesitant, suggesting it might have been an accident. This pushes Kristine to show Michael what’s in the letter: it’s a copy of Natalia’s birth certificate, only the photo on it looks nothing like her.
“She stole someone’s identity to impersonate a child,” she says. Michael is still protective of Natalia and takes her upstairs. As Kristine inspects the birth certificate, she spots a New Jersey address.
HuluGood American Family Episode 3 then cuts to New York, where the Barnetts have headed for the interview. As they check into the hotel, Kristine slips off to visit the address and speak with Natalia’s former adoptive parents.
As soon as she mentions Natalia’s name, the woman shuts the door on her. But after threatening to phone the police, she agrees to speak.
Kristine starts quizzing her about the surgeries, First Path, and any information about Natalia’s past. The woman remains elusive, as if she’s scared someone might hear her.
“Maybe you should ask Natalia about it,” she says. “You think she’s in on this?” asks Kristine, but the woman replies, “I never meant to hurt anyone. I just had to protect my family.”
Fact check
IDThe poisoning incident mirrors the allegations Kristine and Michael made that Natalia slipped bleach into her adoptive mom’s cup. However, there has never been any evidence that this incident happened.
Another point of contention is the birth certificate shown in Good American Family, which Kristine claims features a photo that doesn’t look like Natalia. In real life, the photo shown in the docu-series, which the Barnetts claimed didn’t resemble Natalia, actually did look like her.
Last but not least, it’s worth noting that while Michael appears loving and fiercely protective of Natalia in Good American Family, in real life he was equally suspicious of her, backing many of the claims Kristine made even after they separated.
What happens at the end of Good American Family Episode 3?
HuluIn the green room, ahead of their TV interview, Kristine brings this new information to Michael, saying, “It’s so much worse than we thought. She’s been playing us.”
According to her former adoptive parents, Natalia’s involved in a scam with First Path to get her medical bills covered – and she’s an adult. Even so, Michael continues to question the allegations.
As they argue, Kristine reveals that she knows he’s been lying about his job, and that Natalia told her. She sets out a new plan: when they get home, she’s going to get Natalia put in a psychiatric facility.
Michael’s dead against it, promising instead to stay home and look after Natalia himself. Their arguing turns to shouting, which gets a tad awkward when a producer walks in and says they’re ready for them.
They put on a united front for the cameras, as the presenter discusses the importance of a “good American family.”
Good American Family Episodes 1-3 are streaming on Hulu, with Episode 4 set to drop on April 2. Until then, read about the Natalia Grace mystery that will never be solved, why Kristine faced backlash for endorsing the show, and if Natalia’s later adoptive parents, Cynthia and Antwon Mans, went to jail.
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