Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Good American Family episode 4.Hulu’sGood American Familyhas continued dramatizing Kristine and Michael Barnett’s side of Natalia Grace’s story, and the new episode has introduced new inconsistencies with their claims. Hulu’s true-crime show has never been very concerned with thetrue story behindGood American Family. Even with so many conflicting accounts of the same story, each episode ofGood American Familyintroduces new storylines that have been fabricated for the sake of dramatic tension. For example, it has more tension onto thecast ofGood American Familythan the real life people they’re based on had.
InGood American Familyepisode 4, Kristine (Ellen Pompeo) and Michael Barnett (Mark Duplass) finally began to see eye-to-eye about Natalia Grace (Imogen Faith Reid). It took Kristine taking the boys to her mother’s house and Natalia Grace tanking Michael’s interview with T-Mobile, but he was finally ready to side with his wife. As a result, she was locked in the Barnetts' garage, they hadNatalia Grace’s agelegally changed, and they deposited her in an independent apartment. The broad strokes of the story are faithful, butGood American Familycontinued to take creative liberties.
4Natalia Grace’s Alleged Electric Fence Attack Happened On A Public Farm, Not At Kristine’s Mother’s House
The Barnetts Claimed Kristine Was Shoved Into An Electric Fence At Traders Point Creamery
One of the bigger moments inGood American Familyepisode 4 came when Natalia Grace allegedly pushed Kristine Barnett into the electric fence at her mother’s home. It wasn’t shown on screen, but Kristine assured Michael that Natalia was trying to kill her. The problem is,that alleged murder attempt didn’t happen at Kristine’s mother’s home, it happened at a public farm called Traders Point Creamery(viaThe Curious Case of Natalia Grace). Michael Barnett explained they had gone there for their son’s birthday, and the scene ended in a very public meltdown.
Some of the Barnetts allegations about the electric fence incident are hard to parse, as Michael Barnett blatantly changed his story just three years after his initial interview. The main gist of his claims, however, are that Natalia Grace pulled Kristine into an electric fence, that the police were involved, and that Natalia was later taken to a mental hospital because of the incident.Employees of Traders Point Creamery saw the incident and countered some of Michael’s claims, but it certainly didn’t happen on a private farm asGood American Familydepicted.
3The Electric Fence Wasn’t Even Powered On Like It Was In Good American Family
Traders Point Creamery Employees Said The Electric Fence Wasn’t Even On When Natalia’s Attack Supposedly Happened
Another major detail of the electric fence incident thatGood American Familygot wrong is the injuries Kristine Barnett sustained. In the show, Kristine was treated for mild electrical burns, as the fence was running at a low voltage. In real life,employees of Traders Point Creamery claim the fence Kristine allegedly fell into wasn’t even powered on when the Barnetts visited(viaThe Curious Case of Natalia Grace).
2Natalia Grace Was Forced To Sleep On The Porch, Not In The Garage
Michael Admitted That Kristine Barnett Forced Natalia To Sleep Outside When CPS Was Called
After the electric fence incident, Kristine and Michael tried to admit Natalia Grace to a mental hospital. When their first choice was full, they had to spend a night with her in the house, and they decided to lock her in the garage to protect the boys. In real life,Michael claims that Kristine forced Natalia Grace to sleep outside on the Barnett family’s back porch not to keep the boys safe, but to coerce her into revealing her “real” age(viaThe Curious Case of Natalia Grace). That was actually the event that instigated Child Protective Services' visit to the Barnett house, not a call from Natalia.
1Good American Family Glossed Over Natalia Grace’s Time In The Mental Hospital
Good American Family Skipped Straight To Natalia’s Independent Apartment
One of the most egregious changesGood American Familyepisode 4 made to its true story is actually an omission. After the Barnetts were visited by the police detective and told to change her legal age,Good American Familyproduced a montage of doctors' visits and legal proceedings leading up to Natalia Grace being put in her own apartment. In real life,Natalia Grace was admitted to Larue Carter mental hospital before she was given an independent apartment(viaThe Curious Case of Natalia Grace).
What Happened To Natalia Grace Barnett In Real Life After Good American Family: Where She Is Today
Good American Family dramatizes the harrowing true story of orphan Natalia Grace Barnett. But the show doesn’t tell us what happened to her next.
Oddly enough, ifGood American Familyhad included the accounts of Natalia’s time at Larue Carter, it would have added credence to the Barnetts' claims.Several employees of Larue Carter, speaking anonymously, claimed that Natalia was an adult and that she even propositioned male patients for sex(viaThe Curious Case of Natalia Grace). For some reason,Good American Familyhas skipped over Natalia Grace’s time at the mental hospital, perhaps to depict it in a light more favorable to her later on in the show.
