Summary
Good American Family continues to torment Natalia in Episode 6, but also introduces a lifeline in Kristine Barnett’s opposite moral opposite (or so it seems.)
The smart and complete turnaround of Good American Family has been a whiplash-inducing pivot that has improved the Hulu series tenfold. And that continues in Episode 6, “Not Today Satan”, which continues to torment Natalia Grace, reveal new perspectives on her time with the Barnetts, and introduce a potential lifeline in the form of a woman who seems to be Kristine’s moral (and financial) opposite – but still peppers in enough ambiguity that the audience can never quite be sure of anyone’s intentions.
Kristine is totally absent from this episode aside from brief appearances in flashbacks, though her voice is heard on the phone. For that reason, among others, she takes on a kind of monstrous, spectral quality, her snarling voice ringing in Natalia’s ears whenever she’s forced into a position she finds uncomfortable. “I’m 22, I just look young for my age,” she repeats. “My parents and I are very close.” In her memories, Kristine pepper-sprays and beats her.
As usual, Episode 6 of Good American Family opens with Natalia being interviewed by Brandon. They’re referring to a scene in which Kristine gave Natalia tampons and “showed her how to use them” because she was sick of finding the bloody socks in the wardrobe. Natalia is distressingly sensitive about the subject. But the implication is clear. The only time Natalia bled from her private parts was after that “lesson” from Kristine. The bloody socks are later explained – Kristine would make Natalia walk the block without shoes to teach her a lesson, leaving her feet a mess. And just like that, the show has taken on a significantly more horrifying contour.
It’s the feet thing that introduces Natalia to Cynthia Mans. In her new place in Lafayette, Indiana, Natalia has to walk to school, where she can’t complete the work or get on with any of the other students because she’s still a child. Walking is difficult for her. It devastates her feet. So, she has to take breaks. And it’s during one of these breaks that Cynthia drives by, recognises she’s in distress, and offers to help.
It’s gradually revealed that Cynthia is married to a preacher named Antwon and together they have seven children, some of them “God’s children”; in other words, kids they have taken in to rescue them from difficult circumstances. Cynthia is presented as a direct counter to Kristine. There are moments when Natalia reels off her usual script, gets defensive, and at one point even lashes out, but in every instance, Cynthia’s approach is softer, more understanding. She’s able to break through Natalia’s barriers – which have been strengthened after Kristine’s more overt abuses – and welcome her into her home.
Natalia and the Mans family attend church in Good American Family Episode 6 | Image via Hulu
Cynthia looking after Natalia also means getting some medical answers. She poses as her mother in the doctor’s office to get scans completed that can address Natalia’s chronic pain and discomfort. Those scans reveal, unequivocally, that Natalia is not 22. She’s a child. But they also raise suspicions and attract the attention of Brandon, who accuses the Mans family of essentially kidnapping children to steal their government benefits.
This would seem like an outlandish claim if we hadn’t already seen evidence of it. When Cynthia initially took Natalia shopping, she tricked her into paying for the groceries on her EBT card. Now, this might be as it appeared; Cynthia was trying to find a way to get Natalia to come over for dinner, and technically tricked her into paying for her own groceries. But there’s a conversation between Natalia and Antwon – that Natalia overhears – about needing the money. It’s nothing conclusive, but the bait is there.
Nothing about Cynthia and Antwon suggests they truly have ill intentions, though. Their kids seem very happy and well-adjusted, even the ones who aren’t biologically theirs, and Cynthia shows a great deal of patience with and affection for Natalia. When Kristine somehow gets her number and calls to tell her that Natalia is dangerous, and an adult in disguise who (this is a new one) tried to steal her husband, Cynthia defends Natalia, doesn’t berate her for running away, and even tells her the truth about what Kristine said.
It’s a fascinating place for the audience to be, and Good American Family Episode 6 leaves us there. We have no idea what Cynthia’s intentions are, but they seem better than Kristine’s. But there’s also a pretty clear suggestion that they stand to benefit from their “rescue” of Natalia. Does it matter? If doing the right thing morally benefits them financially, hasn’t the right thing still been done? It’s hard to say, especially for Natalia, who is being pulled this way and that through no fault of her own. But the way the show is revealing new suggestions of what life might have been like in the Barnett household, it’s beginning to seem like Natalia would be better off literally anywhere else.
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