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‘Good American Family’ Review: Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction In Hulu’s Riveting Series Of Adoption Gone Terribly Wrong

Remember “Orphan?” That rather upsetting horror tale of a deranged woman in her early 30s afflicted with dwarfism who, after posing as a nine-year-old girl, proceeds to inflict a battery of terror upon her adopted parents? Surprisingly, the events of “Orphan” seem to have inspired a real-life scenario similar in more ways than one to the 2009 film. It’s in “Good American Family,Hulu’s eight-episode dive into a strikingly similar story, the events that unfolded, and the two perspectives that shape a narrative twist, thrusting the collective mentality of viewers from one perspective to another, that something genuinely fascinating emerges, draped with a crescendo of tension and the best kind of emotional joyride, all coming together for one of the more compelling entries in the genre of truth-inspired, televised storytelling. 

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A block of text precedes every episode, warning of how the impending series may handle the story of Kristine and Michael Barnett, the couple at the center of this murky dilemma alongside a girl named Natalia Grace. However, we’re already getting ahead of things, as the show begins with Kristine (Ellen Pompeo), by all appearances on top of the world as she delivers an inspirational speech during what looks to be a promotional stop on a book tour before being interrupted moments later by an army of law enforcement, swarming the stage and escorting Kristine away in custody. The details of what led to such an incident remain as yet unclear, and a flashback seems more than necessary to begin unraveling it all; years earlier, Kristine and husband Michael (Mark Duplass), parents to three boys, among them autistic prodigy Jacob (Alas Dalman as a child, Aaron Potter as an adult), are still reeling from the loss of a foster daughter, one who the Barnetts hoped to adopt before the girl’s aunt re-entered the picture, taking her back and leaving behind a child-shaped hole in the lives of this newly-grieving family.

Having put their name on the adoption list and living each day in hope for another chance, their prayers seem to have found an answer when a phone call from First Path, an out-of-state agency, notifies a thrilled Kristine that a seven-year-old girl by the name of Natalia (Imogen Faith Reid) has suddenly become available for immediate adoption; it is, however, an urgent situation, as her previous family just recently gave up the child, and if no one claims her in short order, her short-term future lies in the hands of the state. 

Armed with this knowledge, alongside the fact that she suffers from dwarfism, the Barnetts make the journey to the First Path offices, where an initially cheerful meeting between the couple and their prospective new daughter is immediately followed by the revelation that it’s Kristine and Michael who now find themselves on the hook for Natalia’s prior medical expenses, of which there’s many. 

With credit cards maxed out due to their trip to First Path, Kristine put money into a center designed to help autistic children. Michael is managing a Circuit City on the verge of closure (it’s the late 2000s, after all); it’s another decision they’re forced to make on the spot. Still, the bond they feel just as quickly ultimately overrules any worry these outside forces have triggered. After all, a love like this can endure the murkiest of situations and is bound to last a lifetime.

Or, so it would seem. Not long after departing First Path with Natalia in tow, a stop for lunch at the beach sees the girl erupt in a sudden outburst as she frantically runs towards the water, seemingly desperate to get away from the table; it’s the first of many red flags, both directly involving Natalia’s temperament and the details surrounding how she wound up as the Barnetts’ fourth child. It isn’t long before events around the house point in the direction of what could be considered sociopathic behavior, with off-putting acts of violence such as the appearance of a knife in her possession, the throwing of her siblings’ personal items into heavy traffic, and a relationship with Kristine that quickly turns icy as a result of it all. Michael, meanwhile, just as quickly takes to Natalia as the daughter he’s always wanted. Still, as she literally hides behind her adoptive father every time, Kristine informs her husband of another misdeed on behalf of the child, a wedge begins to form.

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The red flags soon spread to Natalia’s history, precisely the background of who she really is, where she’s from, and her specific age. It’s known that she was born in Ukraine, but although First Path presented her as seven, a meeting at her new school soon reveals the lack of paperwork needed to properly place her in an appropriate grade. As Kristine begins the process of tracking down what she needs, calls to First Path result in a tense conversation with the adoption agent who facilitated Natalia’s case, informing Kristine to stop what she’s doing and locating the family who had Natalia immediately before the Barnetts results in a door literally slammed shut before her previous guardian gives Kristine five precious minutes to answer her questions. Something isn’t right, and at this moment, Kristine makes a bizarre discovery: a pile of bloody socks, which, combined with Kristine accidentally opening the bathroom door while Natalia’s inside, causes the woman to react with shock. What she’s seen within, along with that now-infamous sock pile, may lend serious evidence to the idea that Natalia may not be a little girl at all.

But how old is she? Presumably, she is old enough to have her period, and when pressed by Kristine, the answers provided may give weight to this theory, as dodgy and vague as they may be. Meanwhile, her behavior continues to spiral downward, as she was removed from school on that same first day. At the same time, Kristine presses on with launching her business, acting as a liaison for Jacob as he prepares to interview for placement at Princeton. Michael secretly struggles with the imminent closure of his store and subsequent unemployment. Every opportunity the couple has to improve their situation, be it a job interview or opening day speech at Kristine’s center, finds Natalia seemingly sabotaging their efforts while presenting a public persona befitting of a seven-year-old. Who’s the real Natalia here?

As Kristine and Michael’s marriage, already in a difficult spot in the wake of their initial failed adoption and now made worse as Natalia seems to have forced both to choose a side, continues to erode with vicious acts such as a potentially severe car accident caused by Natalia covering Kristine’s eyes, it’s in seeking refuge with Kristine’s opinionated mother that serves to finally solidify Michael’s belief that Natalia truly needs to go. One horrific comment from the girl is all it takes to drive Michael to Kristine, begging for forgiveness, but not before Natalia decides it’s the best moment to push Kristine into an electric fence, resulting in minor injury. 

It’s time. With that lethal combination of attitude and the mounting suspicion that her actual age differs drastically from what she’s presented, a tip from a detective called to the Barnetts after an evening ruckus emanating from Natalia gives them the information they need to legally alter her age, with the assistance of a litany of doctors; still acting as guardians, but now ready to turn Natalia loose with her own apartment and plans in place for her to obtain a GED, it’s here, at episode five, “Too Hurty Without It, “that the narrative shifts from the portrayal of Natalia as a lying, manipulative monster to the imminent struggle she faces living on her own. From the perspective of Natalia, Kristine is the one causing undue pain as the woman turns her focus towards her success as an entrepreneur and inspirational guru; what better time than the show’s midpoint to turn the audience’s opinion entirely on its head? While Kristine may bring to the table her own baggage, best seen during a flashback in which she ushers a younger Michael from the brink of suicide, nothing can prepare for how quickly the show changes and how easy it becomes to send sympathy in a direction only moments earlier seemed impossible.

Unsurprisingly, “Orphan” receives a reference at one point, and it’s easy to see shades of, say, 1993’s Macaulay Culkin vehicle “The Good Son” as well, but again, this is all based on fact, somehow rendering it all the more compelling amidst the constant reminders that this actually happened. The moment it seems that the show’s bias leans far from Natalia, all of that beautifully changes direction; it’s a testament to Pompeo, an outstanding Duplass, and the talent that is Imogen Faith Reed. 

Though the writing teeters in quality from time to time, it’s just as hard to determine if it’s the delivery that’s the issue, with Pompeo, in particular, seeming to struggle with the two faces of a career woman and devoted mother, occasionally giving her dialogue a bizarre affectation that sounds somewhat cue card. It’s something. However, that’s unexpectedly repaired several episodes in, as Jacob points out her dueling personality and why she acts exactly as she does. It’s a well-timed moment of saying what we’re thinking, and it helps the show tremendously.

Outside of the continually-reliable Duplass, his persona crumbling as he goes from energetic father to broken husband, and a flash-forward in episode two, “Jump the Jitters Out, “shows a bearded Michael beyond the end of his rope. It is, however, Imogen Faith Reid as Natalia who pulls off a character arc beyond what one might expect, from the over-the-top adorable act juxtaposed with the snide looks and terror she exhibits throughout the show’s first half to a frightened child desperate for her family as she endures a new kind of manipulation. 

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Christina Hendricks similarly shines as Cynthia Mans, a good Samaritan who turns up during the show’s back nine bent on offering any assistance she can to the child, even if it means forcing her way into her life to impose help and find answers to her questions about Natalia, yet has her own skeletons as it seems the woman, with a house full of children in a correspondingly dire spot, may very well be involved in some form of trafficking. There’s too much excellence on the cast pro-con list, and that is in no way a complaint.

A trip to Wikipedia is all anyone needs to uncover the full extent of what happened, but going in blind helps fuel the experience. Showrunners Katie Robbins and Sarah Sutherland know precisely how to develop a show’s momentum, coming out of the gate swinging but leaving plenty of room for the show to mature and grow naturally, allowing the truth to do the heavy lifting as a curious audience can’t help but marvel over the reality of it all. This is an example of adaptation done right, but the same can’t be said for how the adoption of Natalia Grace. That story is for Hulu. [A-]

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