01x07 - If You Tell a Story Well Enough

[bunniefuu]

[raw noodles crunching]

[Detective Drysdale] I went
by your previous address.

Did someone leave you there?

Abandon you?

I want to help, Natalia.

I'm trying to understand.

[♪ tense, suspenseful
music playing]

You don't wanna know.

[Drysdale] Previously on
Good American Family...

[Cynthia Mans] Hon, you good?

Um, yeah, I-I'm just resting.

Can I at least call
someone for you?

- Your mom, maybe?
- No, I'm fine.

I'm 22, I just look
young for my age.

There's a legal process to
correct someone's birth date.

It's a simple process.

Maybe a letter from a doctor
reviewing her records.

♪♪

Because of her disability, you can
probably stay on as her guardian.

- I don't know.
- No, I'm just not the kind of person

- who gives up on things they love.
- Oh, friend.

I promise it'll all be okay.

[Michael Barnett] We got you an apartment.
So, even though you'll live on your own,

we'll make sure rent
and bills get paid,

and we'll check up on you.

- What the hell are you doing here?
- I was looking for my mom and dad.

I assume Kris and Mike are
halfway to Canada by now.

[Natalia Grace] What
do you want from me?

I wanna take you to
the grocery store.

Since I'm gonna cook for you,

I might ask you to put these
groceries on your EBT card.

She's in pain every day.

- So, could we just...
- I'm sorry, ma'am,

- what exactly is your relationship?
- I'm her mother.

This person you're trying to say
is an adult is, in fact, a child.

[Kristine Barnett] Natalia!

[Natalia] Stop hitting me!

Is she right that I'm bad?

That no one can ever love me?

I've only known you a couple
weeks, and I already love you.

[Drysdale] If you ever want to
talk, whenever you're ready,

I want you to give me a call.

I wanna testify. Let's do this.

[insects chirring]

[Natalia] It was 2012.

It was starting to
get warm, I remember,

but they didn't let us go
outside that much at Larue.

Okay, are you ready
for a creepy one?

- Yeah.
- Okay.

So, once upon a time, there
was a girl named Oksana.

She was very happy.

But then one day,
her mommy died.

How did she die?

Uh, I don't know, she got
hit by a train. Anyway.

Oksana's father then
married a new lady

who had a daughter of her own,
but they were both very mean.

And one day, the
wicked stepmother said,

"We don't need two daughters.
Send this ugly one away."

So, they moved
Oksana into a cottage

deep in the woods
all by herself.

And the cottage was
said to be haunted!

So, sure enough,
that first night...

[banging mattress] ...there
was a rapping at the door.

Oksana was frightened.

She tried to ignore it,
but the sound continued.

[banging mattress]

So finally, Oksana
crept over to the door.

When she opened it...

[whispering] ...there
was no one there.

When she went to close
it, there was a voice.

"Feed me. Feed me."

Well, she looked all around, but
there... there was no one there.

But then she realized,
down at her feet,

talking to her was...

a cow head!

- [door opens]
- [Skye and Natalia screaming]

What's going on, ladies?

You know you can't be
in each other's beds.

Oh, but please. Can't
we play a little longer?

I'm afraid not. I'm
here to move Natalia.

Oh, uh, a-am I going home?

[nurse] No. Actually,
we got some paperwork

saying you're older
than we thought.

A lot older.

You're being moved
to the adult wing.

- The adult wing?
- Wait, you're a grown-up?

[stammers] I-I don't
understand. Who said I was?

- I'll tell them they're wrong.
- [nurse] That won't work.

No, please, I wanna stay
with Skye. We're friends.

[♪ dramatic music playing]

Please, tell me what's going on.

[nurse] Don't make this harder
than it needs to be. Let's go.

No, please. I don't...
I don't wanna go.

[sobbing] I don't
wanna go. Please...

Please, please let me come back!

[♪ curious theme music playing]

[flag flapping in breeze]

♪♪

[bridge cracking]

[engine humming]

[TV static buzzing]

[paper cutting]

[♪ theme music fades out]

[door opens]

[patient screaming in distance]

[♪ tense music playing]

[distant banging]

[patient screaming]

Please, please, why can't
I just stay where I was?

[♪ tense music continues]

[door closes]

[keys jingling]

[patient groaning]

No, no, no, wait, wait, wait.
I forgot my bunny, Hercules.

- She's my best friend.
- Natalia, you have to behave

or they will restrain you.

This is not like the kids' wing.

They're not gonna
give you a warning.

Do you understand?

[whispering] But I
can't sleep without her.

[sobbing] No, no.

[Natalia groaning]

Mm-mm. No, no!

[Natalia] I never
saw Hercules again.

- [door locking]
- [sobbing] No!

Sorry. [sniffling]

It-It's stupid to get
upset over a dumb toy.

The heck it is.

That was your bunny and
they took it from you.

I don't want you to have to
keep on rehashing all this.

Do you have kids, Detective?

- I do not.
- [Cynthia] Okay.

So, let me explain
something to you.

As a parent, you try real hard
to keep your kids from hurting.

Every day that we don't fix
what those people did to her,

Tally is hurting.

She can't get
surgery, go to school.

Her x-rays literally
prove she's a kid.

So, how is this so
hard for you to fix?

- [sighs]
- [camera beeps]

Natalia, I'm sorry to ask
you all those questions

about your time at the hospital.

But I'm glad I did, because I
think you just found our strategy.

I did?

Whatever it was the Barnetts were
up to, they covered their tracks.

The files for Natalia's re-aging
are sealed in probate court.

And since we can't see
them, we can't argue

that the re-aging
decision was wrong.

But we can argue that it
was made in the wrong way.

I don't get it.

When you were re-aged, you didn't
have a lawyer, didn't see a judge.

The Barnetts went out of their way
to keep you from being involved.

They literally locked you
in a psychiatric hospital.

She wasn't given due process.

And...?

And, I'll need to subpoena
Natalia's records,

but when they confirm that she was
in the hospital the whole time,

that she went in a kid
and came out an adult...

we should be able to get
the ruling thrown out.

And I get to be a kid again?

We just have to show they
didn't give you a voice.

[laughing] Whoo!

[giggles]

[♪ "Only Wanna Be with You" by
Hootie & the Blowfish playing]

[Michael] It was 2014. We'd
been in Canada almost a year.

I remember because it
was Valentine's Day,

and I wanted to make
a big show for it.

You know, we'd been through so
much, and it felt like a chance

to kinda celebrate our
rock-solid Barnett bond.

Paging all Barnett boys! All
Barnetts to the breakfast table!

[♪ "Only Wanna Be with You"
continues playing on speakers]

Oh, happy Valentine's
Day, my dudes.

I made... pancakes!

- [can hissing]
- [Michael coughing]

[Michael] My younger two were cruising,
you know, k*lling it at school,

and-and we'd been getting into
all kinds of father-son games,

archery, bowling, foosball.

I mean, we're fools for foos.

My oldest, Jake, had sailed through
his first semester of grad school.

Oh, hey, bud. I made pancakes.

Sorry, Dad, too busy.

Wait, too busy for
whipped cream? Come on.

Fine. I'll just eat the bacon
though, or I'll sugar crash.

Gotcha, gotcha.

[drums counter]

Saddle up. How's
the paper coming?

"Fermillion" doubling, right?

- Um...
- Although,

do you really need a PhD
to double "fermillion"?

I mean, two times "fermillion,"
eight billion, am I right?

It's fermion doubling, Dad.

What? That's what I said.

And my wife, Kristine, and I were
in kind of a second honeymoon phase,

though she was mostly out
on the honeymoon without me,

touring all over, and giving
speeches about autism.

Well, I'd love to do the podcast,
but I have clients all day Thursday,

and I'm speaking at the Waterloo
Science Association that night.

[Michael] Her book was a bestseller,
and they just announced that

they were gonna make a movie of it
starring Rosamund Pike as Kristine.

And let me tell you,
that casting... spot-on.

Kristine had been
looking fine. [smacking]

[sing-songy] ♪ Happy
love day, my love ♪

I can do it in Vancouver,

as long as we carve out some
time for the teacher training.

[Michael] She was super busy,
but, you know, I got it.

I had an awesome new job too.

So, yeah, short and
long, we were great,

and we had finally put Natalia
behind us in the rearview mirror.

We could breathe that
clean Canadian air.

[sighs deeply]

Or... so we thought.

[car horn honking]

[birds chirping]

[paper rustling]

[♪ tense music playing]

[Michael] I'm not totally
sure, but I... I think it says

they want to turn
her into a kid again.

Wait. But they can't
do that, can they?

Wait, j... hold on, let
me... let me see, okay?

- Okay, okay.
- Alright, okay.

Okay, look. Here, right here.

Because we're the guardians, I think
we can file notice with the court

and-and-and... and just...

just get rid of the
en... the entire request.

- I mean, just say no, you know?
- Okay.

[sighs deeply]

- Yeah, it's okay.
- Whew, okay.

Michael, for a second there,

- I was right back in that dark place.
- I know, I know.

But, hey, look at me.

- Yeah.
- We're good.

- Are you sure?
- We're fine, we're fine.

- Okay.
- Come here.

Mm.

Mm.

So, you'll take care of
it while I'm in Vancouver?

Wh-When are you
going to Vancouver?

This afternoon.
Babe, I told you.

Wait, wait, it's
Valentine's Day. You...

You just got back, and,
well, Papa misses Mama.

It's been way too long.

I know, but it's only two days.

- And then it's you plus me.
- Mm.

- [phone ringing]
- That's my agent.

Thanks for taking care of that.

- Mm-hmm.
- You are...

This is Kristine Barnett.

Oh, great! I think absolutely,
I can make that work.

Uh-huh.

[Michael sighs]

[♪ "The Middle" by
Jimmy Eat World playing]

[Michael] When I said I could handle
it, I figured that would be it.

The one letter, done and doner.

♪♪

♪ Hey... ♪

But they just kept
filing the same petition

to re-age over and over.

♪ ...feel left out,
or looked down on ♪

It became this never-ending
nightmare of legal paperwork

that went on for
three flippin' years.

♪ And don't you worry what
they tell themselves ♪

♪ When you're away ♪

♪ It just takes some time ♪

♪ Little girl, you're in
the middle of the ride ♪

[Michael] I thought
it would never end.

♪ Everything will be just fine ♪

♪ Everything, everything
will be alright, alright ♪

Ow!

[♪ rock guitar riff playing]

Until finally, in
August 2017, it did.

♪ It just takes some time ♪

♪ Little girl, you're in
the middle of the ride ♪

♪ Everything, everything
will be just fine ♪

♪ Everything, everything
will be alright ♪

- [water running]
- [Kristine laughing]

- [Kristine] Temperature's great.
- [Daryl] Mm.

Can I borrow my wife
for a minute, please?

Michael, Daryl came all the
way here to do me a favor,

because I've been so busy,

I haven't been able
to get to the salon.

It's about her.

Oh.

Alright, Daryl,
give us a second.

But I still have
to blow you out.

[Kristine] Okay,
just... I'll be quick.

- I don't want you to get too dry.
- Okay.

We'll make sure to keep
her wet, Daryl, thank you.

[footsteps receding]

Okay, well, spill it, seeing how
I'm standing here air-drying.

Well, excuse me, okay? But
there's gonna be a hearing,

and apparently, the... the family
that Natalia has been staying with,

they want to be her
legal guardians now.

They want to adopt her?

Yeah, it's basically like
adoption, but for a disabled adult.

- Can I see?
- Uh, yeah.

I mean, the more I think about
it, I think this could be good.

You know? I mean, if they
wanna take care of her,

I say we let 'em, you
know, just... [clapping]

finally wash our
hands of this, right?

Do you seriously not
see what this is about?

The only reason we've been
able to deny these petitions

is because we're
her legal guardians.

The second that goes away,
they can make her a kid again.

[♪ tense, curious music playing]

Do you know what
happens if they do that?

Then, they can say
we abandoned a child.

And do you see why that
would be really bad?

Why that would ruin our lives?

Uh... I mean, when
you say it like that.

[Kristine] Whatever.

I'll call Val. She'll
have a good attorney.

But you need to get down there
so you can be at the hearing too.

This Natalia thing cannot
keep rearing its head.

Now? I thought we were
gonna have a date night.

Until you fix this,
the shop is closed.

[Michael] So, long
story, not so short,

Val says you're the best
lawyer in Indianapolis.

And you know, at first,
yeah, I was pissed

to have to call in sick and
make the long trip. But then...

- Yes!
- [honking horn, revving engine]

...as soon as I crossed
the border into Indiana,

I was like, "Oh, my God, I
can frickin' breathe again!"

I already got my Culver's
custard, you know?

And then, I'm meeting up with some
buddies from my Circuit City days.

And I don't think I realized

how lonely I've been
in-in Canada, you know?

And, and just being
back here, I just...

I just feel like myself again.
It's like I'm on vacation!

Yeah, not a lot of people feel
that way about a court order.

- Well, just lucky, I guess.
- [chuckles]

Okay. Uh, have a donut.

Ooh, yeah, thank you.

- Let's, uh, let's talk about this hearing.
- [mouth full] Yeah.

We gotta get into this, because I
am in the doghouse with the wife

- until I get this solved.
- Mm.

She's got it in her head
that Natalia is just using

this whole change of guardianship
to reverse her age back.

No, absolutely, absolutely.
Your wife is right.

And, you know, it's
not a bad strategy,

since you two denied
all her past petitions.

Wait, but you... you can,
uh, fight that, right?

Well, tell me this.
Um, back in the day,

what evidence did you guys
use to change her age?

Because they're saying the whole
thing wasn't exactly... copacetic.

Yeah, that... Well, that's
a bunch of bulldink,

because we had a doctor
analyze all of her records,

and I'm sure he would
speak on our behalf.

Ah, well, that's a
start. What else?

Uh, well, we have this file at our house.
We call it, uh, "The Natalia Papers."

Um, I could probably get my wife

to, uh, take some photos
and just send those over.

- That would be swell.
- Okay, great.

This might take a second 'cause
she's not the most tech-savvy.

- [chuckles]
- [phone whooshes]

[clicking tongue] Okay.

- [♪ "Don't Cha" ringtone plays]
- Oh. There she is.

Gotta change that ringtone,
I keep forgetting.

- [Terrance chuckles]
- Hold on one second.

Hey, babe.

[Kristine] [on phone]
So, I text the pictures?

No, no, it's super easy.
You... you take the photos,

you open the photo app,

you select all, and then
you create a shared album,

and you just send that to me.

Yep, that'll do it.
Thank you so much.

Okay.

Be here in a few moments.

These donuts are really
good, by the way.

Mm.

If you had to be a donut, what
kind of donut would you be?

- I think I'd be a cronut...
- We can just wait.

Okay.

[phone dings]

Oh, and here we are.

We've got some doctor letters.

- We got immigration papers.
- Excellent.

- All kinds of stuff.
- Okay.

That's it?

I mean, yeah, more or less. Why?

Uh, wow, okay, well...

Suppose less can
be more sometimes.

Uh, you know what would
be helpful though,

is, uh, if you wrote a statement
for me to read on your behalf,

about why you
wanted to retain...

- I'm sorry, man. [chuckles]
- What?

[clearing throat] I think I
might have, uh, scrolled too far.

But, hey, looks like
you're out of the doghouse.

[Terrance laughing]

[♪ tense music playing]

Um, I don't, uh...

Oh.

I don't think these
are... are for... for me.

We haven't been, um...

Oh, my... Oh, my God.
Oh... oh, my God.

[belching, vomiting]

[gasps]

Uh, it's alright.
It's okay, it's okay.

It's okay. Lena!

- Sorry.
- Yeah, it's okay. You're okay.

[♪ "I'd Do Anything For
Love" by Meat Loaf playing]

♪ And I would do
anything for love ♪

Call her, Michael.

♪ Oh, I would do
anything for love ♪

f*ck' do it.

♪ Oh, I would do anything... ♪

You're just gonna f*ck'
do it. You're gonna call her

and you're just
gonna f*ck' do it.

That's what you're gonna do,
you're gonna call her right now.

Tell her how you feel.

♪ Will you raise me up? ♪

- ♪ Will you help me down? ♪
- [Michael exhales sharply]

♪ Will you get me right out
of this godforsaken town? ♪

♪ Will you make it all
a little less cold? ♪

- ♪ I can do that ♪
- f*ck that.

♪ Oh, I can do that ♪

♪ Will you hold me sacred,
will you hold me... ♪

[♪ "Don't Cha" ringtone plays]

♪ Don't you wish your
girlfriend was hot like me? ♪

♪ Don't you wish your girlfriend
was a freak like me? ♪

Oh, sh*t.

♪ Don't you wish your
girlfriend was hot like me? ♪

Uh... okay.

♪ ...was a freak like me? ♪

♪ Don't you wish
your girlfriend ♪

- ♪ Was hot like me ♪
- Okay.

[Kristine] [on phone]
Hello, Michael?

[Michael breathing heavily]

[Kristine] You know I
can hear you breathing.

I mean, what the heck,
Mike? Did you hack my phone?

I don't have time for this.
What is going on down there?

What's going on?

Uh, I guess I was
a little thrown

by the evidence you
sent over. Um...

The doctor letter and the
immigration papers were great.

But I wasn't totally sure

what you wanted me to do with
the pictures of your crotch!

The titty pics!

Beautiful. Very helpful.

Though, I do have to wonder
if those were meant for me,

seeing as how you haven't let
me anywhere near the ladies

in God knows how long!

Are you trying to imply
something, Michael?

[Michael] Yes, I think I am.

Who were those pictures for? 'Cause
I don't think they were for me.

Oh God, oh God, oh God.

Are you sleeping with
the f*cking hairdresser?

- Jesus!
- Have you lost your mind?

- Daryl is g*y.
- [Michael] No.

- No, they always say that.
- [Kristine] Listen to yourself.

You sound like a crazy person.

Of course, those photos
were meant for you.

Just a little thank you
for handling things.

[scoffs] Really? Really?

Okay, so let me
get this straight.

You wanted me to open them up
in front of Val's lawyer, right?

Why, you want... you wanted
to thank him too? Is that it?

Oh, for Pete's sake.

Why are you picking a
fight with me right now?

I've been a nervous wreck worrying
about what's going on down there.

I could barely
eat. I can't sleep.

- And this is what you're worried about?!
- This is our marriage! [scoffs]

Oh, don't be so dramatic.

I don't... I can't even...

Oh, my God. I can't...
I can't do this anymore.

[Kristine] What?
What can't you do?

Be treated like this.

Like... I... I don't matter.

- Like I'm invisible.
- Okay, so what's your plan?

You're gonna leave and do what?

You can barely make a
living on your own, Michael.

You can't survive without me.
You can barely get out of bed.

Oh, wow.

So, okay.

Um, if that's how
you feel, then...

Kris, why... why are
you even with me?

[inhales sharply]

Yeah, you can't
answer that, 'cause...

the writing's been on the wall
for a long time, hasn't it?

sh*t, Kris, I gotta go. I...

The Circuit City
crew's waiting for me.

- [Kristine] No, don't you dare hang...
- [beep]

[sighs]

[sharp exhales]

Holy sh*t.

[♪ Italian music
playing in restaurant]

[scoffs]

Wow.

Yeah, this is great.

[Jennifer] Michael Barnett.

H... uh, hi,
stranger. Oh, my gosh!

[Jennifer] Hi.

- [chuckles]
- [exclaiming]

- How long has it been?
- Um, years?

Yeah, my... uh, Wyatt is six.

- Six?
- Six.

- Wow.
- Yeah. [chuckles]

I do not understand time.

[Jennifer chuckles]

Are you okay? You seem unwell.

Thank you.

That is so nice of you to...
see that and say it. It's...

- Let's get some drinks, yeah?
- Yeah.

- We're gonna need some drinks.
- Yeah.

[Jennifer laughing]

Why?

Why did you like the crotch?

[both laughing]

- [Michael groaning]
- I mean, what is going on up there?

- Oh, in here?
- Yeah.

It's, uh, chaos and
self-loathing, and all that.

Oh. Oh, really? I got that too.

- You...
- I do.

- [laughing]
- Oh.

I don't... look, I don't... What
was I supposed to do, you know?

You get this picture, and I'm
like, okay, I want to confront her.

But I didn't, like, really
want to confront her.

- Yeah.
- You know? 'Cause, like...

Ugh, this is so embarrassing.

[sputtering] I think
I really was hoping...

I wanted the pictures, like,
to maybe be for me, you know?

So, I was like,
"Well, maybe they are.

So, maybe I shouldn't
say anything."

But then I realized,
well, that doesn't matter,

'cause the fact that... like, the
fact that I'm already thinking

that she's cheating on me.

So, it's that whole thing
of, like, if your wife

is f*cking around in a forest
and no one's there to hear it.

[laughing]

Sorry, I'm just...

[sighs] Sorry.

I have a confession to make.

What?

Never really a big Kristine fan.

Uh... uh, go on.

When you talk about
her, you're so sad.

Like, your whole vibe
is sad and small.

And...

I don't know, like, she...

Remember how scared you were to
tell her about the store closing?

Like, you were terrified.

You were so nice to me.

- I...
- I really want to tell you that.

You were very nice to
me, I appreciate it.

You know who's not nice?

- Kristine.
- [laughing]

She's kind of a b*tch, right?

- I mean, isn't she?
- [laughing]

- Sorry.
- It's okay.

- No. No, that's too much.
- No, don't feel bad.

- Not at all.
- Ooh, Jennifer.

- [chuckles]
- Not at all.

Plus, there's, um, you know,

there's another reason why I'm
primed not to like Kristine.

But unless it's really over
with her, I can't tell you.

Um... [clicking tongue]

sh*t, it's, um,
it's really over.

I'm sorry to hear about that.

Oh.

Oh.

Mm. Mm.

Mm.

Oh, my gosh.

- [laughing] Oh, no.
- I'm kissing out of wedlock

- at Villa Tronco's.
- [laughing, shushing]

Who am I right now? Who am I?

This is my favorite Michael.

- I like him too.
- He's great.

- He is. He's okay.
- He's always so great.

Right? He's so... oh, sh*t.

sh*t.

I have to write this statement
for my... my lawyer...

- Yes.
- ...'cause of the court thing tomorrow.

- It's the whole reason I came down here.
- Yeah, go.

I have to go.

So, I'm gonna go.

I have to.

- You could maybe just...
- I have to.

- ...go in one minute?
- Yeah, I mean, I have to go right now.

- Sixty seconds?
- I gotta go, yeah.

Mm.

[Natalia] "For people
who don't know me,

"my name is Natalia
Grace Barnett.

"I was born September 4,


"But for the past five years,
I've had to lie about that

"and say I'm a grown-up.

That's been hard for me."

[gasps]

[sighs, laughs]

Well, you just about scared
the pee right out of me.

What you doing up?

Um, I'm working on my statement.

I was maybe gonna add a joke,

'cause Dad says you can always
win over the congregation

- with a good laugh.
- Ooh.

Can I get a sneak peek?

Uh-huh.

Um... [clearing throat]

[milk pouring]

"Being here today is kind of
like being on a roller coaster.

It's scary, and I feel like
I'm gonna lose my lunch."

[Cynthia laughing]

See? Now, you're gonna do great.

You just be yourself and
let the people come to you.

I'm just worried about
reading this stuff

- in front of Kristine and Michael.
- No.

Stop that.

First of all, you know they
did this to themselves.

Second, Detective
Drysdale said those fools

aren't even comin' tomorrow.

They're gonna have a lawyer
speak on their behalf.

What if they change their minds?

Well, then you got a
secret weapon, baby.

Because if they
show their faces,

you got Mama C there ready
to rip 'em one, okay?

Come on, knock back that
Nestle's and let's get you to bed

so you'll be ready to read
that statement tomorrow.

[Natalia] When the Barnetts had
my age changed, I wasn't there.

I didn't get to
speak for myself,

so they got to decide
how people see me.

- They decided who I am.
- [Antwon praying]

I'm excited to be here today
to set the record straight,

so people can see me
the way my siblings do,

a regular 13-year-old,

and so I can be adopted by a
family who really loves me.

- Alright, here we go.
- Amen.

[♪ solemn music playing]

- [bailiff] All rise.
- [chamber door opens]

Well, while I've got
everyone standing already,

please raise your right
hands to be sworn in.

[whispering] Is this normal to
do it all at once like this?

It's a probate hearing, not a trial.
Judge can do it however he wants.

It's not run like
a regular court.

...today is the truth.

[all] I do.

They didn't come.

[lawyer] Uh, I'm Ken Mabry,
counsel for Natalia Barnett.

May it please the court
if we first proceed

by establishing a basis for our
motion, of which there are two motions?

Yep.

Well, uh, first, is a motion to
appoint Antwon and Cynthia Mans

the legal guardians
of Natalia Barnett.

Uh, Natalia is a minor who was abandoned
by Kristine and Michael Barnett.

No, it says here Ms.
Barnett is 27 years old.

I know these millennials
can't take care of themselves,

but that doesn't
make them all minors.

[laughing]

Well, so that brings me
to our second motion,

to vacate the June 2012 court
order regarding Natalia's age.

In a horrible miscarriage
of due process,

the Barnetts had Natalia's
age changed from 8 to 22

without her knowledge or
even a hearing on the issue.

On what basis was she re-aged?

Your guess is as good
as mine, Your Honor.

The files have been sealed.

Not even Natalia herself knows
how or why she was re-aged.

Uh, Your Honor, there's
no big mystery here.

Uh, Ms. Barnett was re-aged

because of the simple medical
fact that she's not a child.

- [scoffs] "Not a child," my hiney.
- Just give the Lord his time. Okay?

[Terrance Kinnard] The Marion County
Superior Court reviewed the evidence

and agreed.

I'm not inclined to overturn
another court's ruling

without significant evidence the
verdict should have been different.

To that end, Your Honor, I'd like
to invite Dr. Stephen Lawrence,

he analyzed Ms. Barnett's records
during the original case, to speak.

[Judge Faber] Great, I'd love
to hear what he has to say.

- You know this guy?
- Y-Yeah, I think so.

They took me to
a lot of doctors.

Thank you. My name is
Dr. Stephen Lawrence,

and I was the
Barnetts' family doctor

and Natalia's primary physician
while she was with them.

Uh, during this time, it became
apparent that Ms. Barnett

was substantially
older than she claimed.

She didn't grow
the way a young...

I'm pretty sure I
only saw him once.

[Stephen Lawrence] She displayed a
number of secondary sex characteristics,

and by the time she
was committed to, um,

Larue Psychiatric
Hospital in 2012,

she'd been having a regular
menstrual cycle for years.

[whispering] She still
hasn't had her period.

[Stephen] Also, while at Larue,
Ms. Barnett was diagnosed

with sociopathy, uh, a
diagnosis only given to adults.

Ms. Barnett has made a career

of, um, "perpetuating
an age facade."

But despite being
victims of her fraud,

the Barnetts, uh, they see
her as a sick individual,

and they remain committed
to their roles as guardians.

- Thank you.
- [Judge Faber] Thank you, Dr. Lawrence.

- Can I go now? Can I read mine?
- [Drysdale] Uh...

Excuse me, Your Honor, but we
have opinions from several doctors

who recently ran
a battery of tests

that prove, uh, Ms.
Barnett's biological age

to be in line with her
original birth certificate.

[Terrance] Uh, Your Honor,
Dr. Lawrence's opinion

was based on analyzing Ms.
Barnett's medical records

at the time of her re-aging,
so I don't see how new records,

now that she's even older,
would even be relevant here.

Well, but that's the
due process stuff.

The, um, the previous re-aging
petition, it was very...

i-it only showed one side.

Uh, Ms. Barnett wasn't included, which
is why she'd like to speak today.

[♪ dramatic music playing]

[door bangs open]

[muffled rumbling]

[echoing] Hi.

Oh, hey. Thank you so much.

- Hey, Mike.
- Hey. Is this okay?

[Michael and Terrance
speaking indistinctly]

- [Michael] Can I talk? Is that okay?
- [Terrance] Yes!

- No. You cannot talk.
- Just relax.

- Natalia's about to speak right now.
- You look great.

- Do I just go?
- Yeah, of course.

Your Honor, this is Michael
Barnett, Natalia's guardian.

[Ken Mabry] Excuse me,
Natalia was about to speak.

[Judge Faber] This is my court, I'd like
to hear what Mr. Barnett has to say.

Excellent, thank you.

[Michael] [clears throat, exhales
sharply] So, my lawyer told me

I didn't actually
need to be here today.

I could just write a
statement and be on my way.

And that's exactly what the
old Michael planned to do.

But lately, I've been
learning to speak up,

to be my own man.

It takes courage to
find one's true self.

That's why I'm here.

Let me tell you, Kristine and I, we
haven't been on the same page lately.

But on this, we agree.

We intend to stay on as
Natalia's legal guardians,

not just to save other
families from falling victim

but to encourage
what's best for her...

a life of honesty.

[Judge Faber] Thank
you, Mr. Barnett.

I'd like to ask Natalia
Barnett to please come forward.

- [Cynthia] Good luck, Natalia.
- Go ahead, baby.

- [sibling] You can do it.
- Go.

[family whispering
encouragements]

[softly] Take your time.

[♪ light, tense music playing]

There's no need for
the stand, Ms. Barnett.

I've heard everything
I need to hear.

You're lucky to have parents
who care about you...

who wanna help you
turn your life around.

So, in your best interest,

I will not be adjusting
your guardianship.

- [people murmuring]
- And further, I will not be vacating

the 2012 re-aging decision, as
I've seen nothing here today

to indicate the outcome
would have been different,

had you been part
of that process.

[gavel striking]

So, tell me, do you have anything
to say for yourself, Ms. Barnett?

[Natalia] "For people who don't
know me, my name is Natalia Barnett.

I was born September 4,


[paper crumpling]

[speaking softly] I...

have a joke about
a roller coaster.

[sighs] Okay.

We'll take five
till the next case.

[♪ somber music playing]

[Antwon Mans] Go ahead. Come on.

Hey. We love you no
matter what, Tally-boo.

This does not change that, okay?

[Antwon] Lord knows
we're in need, okay?

[Drysdale] I'm so sorry. I-I've
never seen anything like this.

It's infuriating. But
we can still appeal.

- We'll find a way, okay?
- What would we do?

Absolutely not. No appeal.

- But, she didn't even get to speak.
- I'm her mother. I said no!

Okay, okay. Hands,
hands, hands, hands.

It's okay.

Heavenly Father, we come to
You 'cause we are in need.

We're asking for
Your guidance here.

[Drysdale] The story
could have ended there.

It was a blatant miscarriage
of justice, and I was furious.

But I tried to do what
they asked, leave it alone.

- [♪ gentle music playing]
- Until a few years later,

we started fostering
my daughter Mel.

We'd been trying for so
long, we wanted her so bad,

and I kept thinking
back to Natalia.

How if she was mine,
what would I do?

I'd want her to have what
Mel has, to get to be a kid.

So, I went back to my files.

My wife works nights, and Mel
isn't so much for sleeping.

So, she moonlighted as my deputy
while I tried to figure out

if there was a crime I
could put on the Barnetts.

I knew Michael
Barnett lied that day.

He didn't come all the
way down from Canada

because he cared about Natalia.

I mean, he wouldn't even look
at her in that courtroom.

- [thunder rumbling]
- How do you do that?

Not acknowledge
your own daughter?

He'd come down there
with an agenda,

to make sure her age
didn't get changed back.

But why? What was he hiding?

I cross-referenced
everything trying to find it.

And then, in her discharge paperwork
from Larue Psychiatric Hospital

that I'd subpoenaed so long
ago, I found something.

So, in the summer of 2019,

I decided to pay the family
doctor a visit, Stephen Lawrence.

[Stephen] I'm sorry I
don't have extra to share.

- My Susie makes a mean marinara.
- [chuckles] I bet.

I just appreciate your time.

I got stuck with a bunch of old
cases I'm trying to close out.

- Mm.
- So, you're close to the Barnetts?

Oh, yeah. Saw the
whole family for years.

They're such good people,

and it is criminal how
much they've suffered.

And when did you
first meet Natalia?

Hmm, '07, '08.

[lips smacking] You know, I
thought she was a kid back then,

four or five years old.

Well, she moved in with
the Barnetts in 2010.

So, maybe right around then.

[chuckles] Yeah.

You know, no matter
how hard I try,

- I can't seem to travel back in time.
- [both laughing]

So, if you thought she was
as young as four or five,

how did you get
all the way to 22?

That's a big jump.

Oh, well, no, I, I didn't have anything
to do with that whole re-aging business.

Didn't you testify at the Marion County
Court hearing a couple years ago?

In your testimony, you mentioned
Larue Psychiatric Hospital...

specifically, that Natalia
had a menstrual while there

and was diagnosed
with sociopathy?

That's Natalia's
discharge paperwork there.

See there.

She left with a
clean bill of health.

No psychiatric diagnosis.

No follow-up or
medication needed.

You know, I do have
patients that I have to see.

- So, I can't... I can't ans...
- Now, what if I told you

that Natalia still hasn't
had a menstrual cycle,

or that she has bone scans
that confirmed that today,

seven years after
you said she was 22,

she is still
biologically a child?

[coughing]

I'm sorry. Wrong hatch.

[continues coughing]

Look, I really only
saw Natalia the once.

I thought you testified that
you were her primary physician

the whole time she
was with the Barnetts.

I'm a... I'm a GP.

I... I meant that I
sent her to specialists.

They're the ones who
determined her age.

But you were the one
who wrote a letter

offering your medical
opinion that she was 22,

that she was "perpetuating
an age facade."

Look, Michael and Kristine reviewed
the specialist reports with me,

and I simply wrote it
down on paper for them.

These are good people. I
was just trying to help.

[stammering] I... [coughing]

Excuse me. Thank you.

[coughing]

Do I have some sort
of liability here?

I'm not sure yet.

But I'm gonna need to know the names
of those specialists you sent her to.

Now, if it were me, would
I have shared the names

of a bunch of doctors who would
completely undermine my story?

No, but it takes all kinds.

Sure, she had a couple
of adult incisors,

but, otherwise, it
was all baby teeth,

which would have made her
somewhere between six and eight.

The mother was obsessed
with Natalia's age.

She kept repeating that Natalia
was perpetuating an age facade.

The test results were
clear Natalia was a child.

As I told the parents, dwarfism
can sometimes affect puberty.

So, having some pubic hair at seven
would be completely plausible.

But even still, her LH
levels were pre-pubertal.

They said they had legal
evidence she was an adult,

whatever that means, and
wanted to confirm it medically.

So, we ran a battery of tests,

all of which conclusively
determined she was a child.

- So, you think they made it all up?
- Oh, I'm sure of it,

because a week after we
presented them with all this,

they filed a court order
to have her re-aged anyway.

They told you they were moving
forward with the court order?

No. Natalia's GP
is a doctor here.

He's who referred
the parents to me.

His receptionist told me when
she heard they were going through

with the re-aging.

Look, everybody who met this
poor kid was worried about her.

So, you're saying when they
filed to have her re-aged,

the parents knew
Natalia was a child?

Oh, we were very explicit.

And I wrote to Dr. Lawrence,
the GP, personally,

as soon as I heard they were
disregarding our findings.

- You shared this with Lawrence?
- Of course.

And I sent him all this, and
wrote an emergency letter

to Marion County Court
for good measure.

[sighs] To think what might
have happened to that girl

if the receptionist
hadn't told me.

Oh... you don't know, do you?

Sh-She was re-aged.

- Wait, what?
- She's legally now an adult.

They had her re-aged,
moved around,

had her living on her own...

You should have seen her
face. But she left zero doubt.

These people had proof
that Natalia was a kid.

They went out of their way to
cover it up and get rid of her.

- You've got conspiracy, at least.
- Maybe.

But can you prove they
knew she was a kid?

Everyone knew she was a kid.
They made the whole thing up.

- Not according to the family doctor.
- He was lying for them.

[mouth full] I see that you're
invested, and it's a fascinating story.

But I just don't have the
resources to take on cases

I don't know for sure I can win.

If everything I told you, if
all this doesn't make you think

that you could win,
what the hell would?

- Get the parents to admit they knew?
- [laughing]

That's like saying in order
to charge someone with m*rder,

they gotta admit they
m*rder*d someone.

- This isn't m*rder.
- It almost was!

- Did you interview the Barnetts?
- No!

They're in Canada now.

You're not the only
one without resources.

Huh.

Well, lucky for you, I do
some homework before meetings.

Dad's back in Indy, they're divorced,
and she did a number on his character.

If I were him, I'd
probably hold a grudge.

[♪ tense, curious music playing]

My wife and kids are inside, so
it's a little quieter out here.

I hope this is okay.

- Oh, perfect.
- Okay.

I will tell you this,
Natalia is about 80,000 times

better off just being
away from Kristine.

- But your boys are still with her, huh?
- Yeah, that's the problem.

And, man, they won't even
get on the phone with me,

'cause Kristine told
them that I beat her

and-and-and...

and that there's a warrant
out for my arrest in Canada?

And [scoffs] that's
why I lost the custody,

'cause she's spewing all
that same BS in the courts.

Everybody just
believes her. It's...

If you tell a story well enough,
truth doesn't always matter.

- I guess so.
- That's quite a lie to tell.

Why do you think she does it?

Oh, she's totally
pot-kettling me.

How do you mean?

- Look, I...
- Listen, listen.

If you got something on your ex

that can really help with
your custody troubles...

[♪ tense, curious music playing]

Kristine beat
Natalia pretty bad.

It was so bad,
uh, this one time,

that I... I took a video,
just in case she'd, like...

You have this on video?

I mean, Kristine
made me delete it.

Man, it was rough, it's...

I'm not talking about
open-handed slapping.

Fists.

Kristine was just... wam!

Wam, bam, bam!

And then, she'd get tired,
and it was elbow time.

[grunting] "Who are you?"

"Who?!"

She was...

I...

It's like she thought she could
beat the truth out of her.

What truth was
she trying to get?

It was the age thing, man. It
was always, always the age.

She was obsessed.

She, you know, convinced
that Natalia was an adult,

and this was the
time when doctors

were already telling us she
was probably eight or nine.

So...

you folks knew she was a kid?

[♪ tense music playing]

- Uh, look, man, I'm... Hold...
- I'm only asking, I'm only asking

because if she was a kid,

then your ex
committed child abuse.

You were trying to help Natalia,
you even recorded the video.

But if we can get
Kristine on child abuse...

[exhales sharply]

...no way any court
here or in Canada

is gonna let her
hold onto your boys.

So...

[♪ tense, dramatic
music playing]

Yes.

Yes, we knew she was a kid.

- That's great.
- Really?

That's great. We can really
do something with that.

Yeah? Okay, good.

Hey, man, thank you.

Thank you.

It was friggin' incredible.

He gets it, what
a monster she is.

He's on my side, he's... he's
gonna help me get the boys back.

- He said that?
- Mm-hmm.

- Babe, that's huge!
- I know.

And get this, he thinks he can
get Kristine on child abuse.

- With your boys?
- No, with Natalia.

But... she was an adult.

Well, according to Kristine.

No, you told me
she was an adult.

Well, we never really,
like, knew, knew.

You know, I was just
doing what Kristine said,

because she told me that
she would take away my boys.

And, look, that's
exactly what she did.

Jen, why... you're not
listening to what I'm saying.

- This is good.
- No, it's not, Mike.

If... if you told the detective
that you knew Natalia was a kid,

then you're probably guilty too.

No! No... no. [stammers]

That detective is on my side.

[♪ tense music playing]

[mouthing]

♪♪

[noodle plunks]

[Kristine] This is the story
of our entire marriage.

Mike makes a huge mess, and I
have to come in and clean it up.

On these six charges of neglect

and two of conspiracy to commit
neglect, how do you plead?

Not guilty.

I mean, I knew he was mad

- about the custody stuff.
- [elevator dings]

- [gavel striking]
- And he wanted to punish me.

But for Pete's sake,
what kind of moron

admits to a crime
he didn't commit?

[sighs] I know, but get
it all out now, girl,

'cause remember, for
the sake of your boys,

when we get in there,
we're playing it nice.

Okay.

Well, trust me, I know how to
play nice to get what I want.

- [office chatter]
- [phones ringing]

[indistinct chatter]

[Terrance] Hello, Deidra.

- [Deidra Haynes] Terrance.
- [Terrance] Mm.

This is a confidential
meeting, just for family.

Mike and I are family.

[Kristine sighs]

This whole case has me
in a tizzy, I'm sorry.

It's nice to see you, Jen.

Come. Please have a seat.

Okay, yeah.

Have a donut.

[sighs] Thank you for
making the time, Terrance.

So, as I've been digging into
this case, it feels real clear

the Barnetts need to approach
this as a united front.

- The cases are separate.
- Absolutely.

I'm not talking about the
same strategy, necessarily,

but we both know anything one side
says affects the case of the other.

Deidra thinks that our
case is win-or-lose

based on how the
public feels about us,

and that folks just love
a good American family.

But you're not a family.

You're divorced.

Of course. But we don't
have to advertise that.

I'm... I'm sorry.

I... I understand how this
plan benefits Kristine.

But how on earth
does it help Mike

to align himself
with his a*usive ex?

Is that what you've been saying?

Not exactly.

[Jennifer scoffs]

Mike and I, of course, have
a complicated relationship.

But we know each other
better than anyone,

and we still message
each other all the time.

- Oh, really?
- We have children.

- Hmm.
- And I know I've hurt you

by not letting you see the boys,
and you've hurt me by choosing Jen.

But we have to put all
that behind us now.

If these charges hold, we
could be gone for 75 years.

Is that what we want?
For our boys to be alone?

We have to keep them safe.

It's about the boys.

Right.

- You're right.
- [Terrance] Okay.

Good, now that we've
taken care of that...

- [paper rustling]
- ...let's talk about

what we're up against.

We have the
prosecution's discovery.

And they have video
recordings of Natalia

telling her own wild
version of events.

Now, we have a
natural advantage,

because the public will look at her,
and they will see a fascination.

This will make
them question her.

So, we need to make our own
version louder, and truer.

[♪ curious music playing]

[Drysdale] [on video] So,
what should happen to them?

I... I don't know exactly.

I don't hate them, but what
they did to me was wrong.

People need to know what
happened in that house.

[Kristine] You can't make
this kind of thing up.

A con artist
infiltrating your family.

A dangerous con artist, I mean,

- she tried to k*ll Kristine.
- It would've been 2010.

I didn't want to
admit it at that time

that my husband and
I were struggling.

It was 2014. We'd been
in Canada almost a year.

This was 2010.

I had just discovered
Natalia's hair.

[Michael] It was 2012. She
stole my son's toy car and...

[Kristine] 2012, she tried to
pull me into an electric fence...

She poured bleach into
my coffee to poison me.

[Michael] Then around 2012...

Around 2011 or so... 2012.

[Kristine] 2010. It was 2019.

- Monster. A sociopath.
- k*ller. Con artist.

[voices overlapping]

[Dr. Phil] Thanks so
much for being here.

Now, you've stayed quiet
these past few months,

even with all the
press circulating

since the arrest of Kristine
and Michael Barnett.

What made you
decide to speak up?

Well... they've been
doing all the talking,

so I figured it's my turn.

[Dr. Phil] Then, Natalia, there's
just one question on everybody's mind.

Were you a 22-year-old
scam artist,

or an 8-year-old
child left for dead?

[♪ somber music playing]

♪ And I would do
anything for love ♪

♪ I'd run right
into hell and back ♪

♪ I would do anything for love ♪

♪ I'll never lie to
you and that's a fact ♪

♪ But I'll never forget the
way you feel right now ♪

♪ Oh no, no way ♪

♪ And I would do
anything for love ♪

♪ Oh, I would do... ♪

[♪ fanfare playing]