Good American Family ending explained: What happened after the TV show?

So what can the Disney Plus original tell us that we don’t already know? Well, not a lot, as it happens. In fact, the eight-part series is perhaps more notable for what it omits than what it portrays.

Here’s a look at what went down – and what didn’t go down – in its final episode.

Good American Family ending explained: What happens in the TV show?

The build-up to the trial

“I want justice,” Natalia (Imogen Faith Reid, impressive in a hugely challenging role) tells TV's Dr Phil in an opening scene recreation of the real-life interview that propelled her remarkable story into the national consciousness. “I want the Barnetts to do their time.” As her former adoptive parents revisit the footage with their lawyers three years on, there appears to be a good chance she’ll get her wish.

Indeed, already monsters in the court of public opinion, Kristine (Ellen Pompeo) and Michael (Mark Duplass) receive another hammer blow when not one person comes forward to be a witness for their defences: in revealing video interviews, the likes of Natalia’s school doctor and previous adoptive mum all insist that she was never the sociopathic demon child they purported.

“I wish she’d held me up until I fried,” Kristine claims on watching all her character assassinations, referring to the alleged moment Natalia pushed her against an electric fence. “This is so much worse.” In a performance that’s poles apart from her compassionate medic on Grey’s Anatomy, Pompeo plays the mom to perfection.

And Kristine faces another setback when thousands of incriminating Facebook messages also briefly come into play.

The now-divorced Barnetts, however, are thrown a lifeline when the prosecution is barred from mentioning any evidence relating to Natalia’s age: an earlier superior court ruling meant that in the eyes of the law, she was an adult at the time of the alleged neglect. Of course, they both still face charges – separately – relating to Natalia’s disability.

But Michael is also offered one almighty get-out clause. If he testifies against his ex-wife, he’ll be granted immunity from prosecution. That would appear to be a no-brainer considering he spends much of his time placing the blame squarely at her feet. Yet Kristine draws upon her skills to ensure that she isn’t thrown under the bus and Michael takes his chances in court.

The verdict

Luckily for Michael, spousal privilege means that the Facebook messages can’t be used in evidence. And as shown in a courtroom montage, any talk of Natalia being a minor is immediately shut down with “objection”. His gamble, therefore, pays off when after just two hours of jury deliberation, he’s acquitted of all charges.

Understandably distraught, Natalia initially lashes out at her new guardian Cynthia Mans (Christina Hendricks) for putting her through all the courtroom drama. “You act like you believe in me, but this is all you think I am, a project to feel better about yourself.” And her devastation is only compounded a few months later when just three weeks before her own trial is due to start, all charges against Kristine are dismissed.

The aftermath

Kristine’s jubilance at escaping any form of punishment quickly subsides when she sees the negative social media response. And she’s soon brandishing her previously loyal best friend a “Judas” when she starts to express doubts about her version of events.

Even her own son Jacob (Aaron Potter), the only member of the Barnett family to offer Natalia an apology for how she was treated, starts to turn against her, drawing parallels with how he said he was dismissed on being diagnosed with autism as a child.

As for Michael, well, he’s still playing the victim himself. “I was a kid – you were supposed to be my dad,” Natalia tells him during a long overdue heart-to-heart. “I just didn’t have the strength,” comes the feeble reply. “Hurt people hurt people,” he later adds, continuing to argue that he was under Kristine’s control throughout.

The show appears to be under a similar mindset, as anyone who’s watched the true crime series will know that Good American Family portrays Michael far more sympathetically than its documentary counterpart.

The drama appears to offer some semblance of hope when on returning to her new adoptive home, Natalia discovers that the online world is hailing her as a heroine. One end credits title card also reveals that the birthdate in her passport has been officially restored to September 2003, meaning it’s now legally recognised that she really was only eight when left to fend for herself. Unfortunately, another reveals that her happy ending didn’t last long.

Good American Family: What's missing from the show?

Indeed, while Cynthia and her preacher husband Antwon (Jerod Haynes) are largely presented as Natalia’s saviours, a vague statement reveals that allegations of abuse against the pair have come to light since the show ceased filming.

As the third season of The Curious Case has already delved into, the couple have been accused of being violent towards Natalia, something they have emphatically denied.

These accusations came exclusively from people claiming to be witnesses and not from Natalia herself, who has declined to comment on the matter (via People). The Mans have denied the accusations, with Cynthia calling them "sick, twisted lies" and adding: "It's so frustrating that people will just say anything to appease their agenda. It's ridiculous."

It’s a development which Good American Family couldn’t possibly have accounted for. But nevertheless, it still undermines its narrative.

Natalia’s incredible story has taken another twist since, with Nicole and Vincent DePaul, the couple who unsuccessfully tried to adopt her in 2009, now looking after her following a dramatic escape plan.

“Did she probably do weird things in the past? Yeah,” Nicole told People about Natalia, now planning to become a schoolteacher. “[But] when you take in a child, you take that child as your own. You don’t just get rid of them when they don’t fit into your puzzle.”

The first five episodes of Good American Family are now available to stream on Disney Plus with a new episode dropping each Wednesday until 30th April – check out our Drama hub for all the latest news.

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