FIRST’s Review and Recap of ‘Good American Family’ Episodes 1 and 2: ‘Talk About Creepy’
Ellen Pompeo’s chilling new show dives into secrets, lies, and shocking twists
Since Ellen Pompeo has played Dr. Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy for over 20 years, it’s easy to forget how talented she is outside the operating room. Now, thanks to her new Hulu limited series, Good American Family, the real-life mother of three finally has a chance to show viewers how dark and twisty she can get. First for Women recently was given the opportunity to watch Pompeo in the first two episodes of the true-crime thriller, and trust us when we say it’s not a show; it’s an experience. To learn why, keep reading! Also be sure to watch a clip highlighting one of Episode 2’s most heightened moments below!
“It’s not a show; it’s an experience.”
What is ‘Good American Family’ about?
Good American Family is based on the real-life story of Natalia Grace (played by Imogen Faith Reid), a girl with dwarfism who was adopted by Kristine (Pompeo) and Michael Barnett (played by Mark Duplass) at age seven. Soon after, though, the Indiana-based family learns that Natalia might not be as young and innocent as she seems. Then things really start to get wild—literally and figuratively for Natalia and Barnetts.
“When I got the call that Ellen [Pompeo] was interested in doing it, I lost my mind because I’m a huge Grey’s Anatomy fan,” creator Katie Robbins told First for Women. “Ellen is an American sweetheart and you automatically try to empathize with her character, which was such an important part of building the show’s arc. Then, at a certain point, that starts to shift and we see this darker side of Ellen Pompeo that we haven’t seen before.”
‘Good American Family’ Episode 1 recap
Episode 1 of Good American Family starts with a bang and doesn’t let go. Beginning in 2019, the episode opens with Kristine (Pompeo) getting arrested in front of her three sons and her adoring fans. We then flashback to 2010 and learn that life hasn’t always been easy for the Barnetts.
They have three sons, one of whom has autism. They were supposed to adopt a little girl named Blanca to help complete their family, but that fell through, causing Kristine and Michael’s marriage to take a turn for the worse. But worry not, because Kristine has a plan: she and Michael are going to adopt a different little girl named Natalie Grace, who they believe to be a seven-year-old girl from Ukraine suffering from dwarfism.
After a violent outburst on the beach, an aggressive shove into a marble bathtub, vandalism in the house, the misuse of a walker and Natalia insisting that she needs to use a knife, Kristine begins to wonder if her new daughter isn’t who she says she is.
Also, in episode 1, Kristine and Michael try to deal with their financial problems—especially since they just paid First Path Adoption Center $7,000 for Natalia’s alleged surgeries. Additionally, Kristine is opening up a recreation center for kids with disabilities named Jacob’s Place—after her son, who has autism.
The episode ends with Natalia standing over Kristine with a knife as she sleeps.
Talk about creepy.
‘Good American Family’ Episode 2 recap
Similar to episode 1, episode 2 begins in 2019, but this time, it’s centered around Michael and his new wife, Jennifer (Kim Shaw), talking with an investigator named Brandon Drysdale (Dulé Hill) about what really happened between him, Kristine and Natalia.
During their conversation. Michael goes as far as to call Kristine a “devil” and a “psycho,” but doesn’t share why he thinks that. We then pan to Kristine, who is currently in jail, who tells Brandon that it is her ex-husband who caused all the problems within their marriage, not her.
To learn the truth, the storyline then goes back to 2010 and follows Kristine as she tries to figure out if Natalia was really standing over her with a knife in the middle of the night. After finding no evidence of that, Kristine puts her efforts into getting her new daughter ready for school—even though she doesn’t have any records detailing where Natalia is in her education.
To make matters worse, upon her arrival at the school, the administration says that Natalia’s birth certificate looks fake, her vaccine records are incomplete and for some reason, all of her documents are from New Jersey, even though the Barnetts adopted her in South Carolina.
Desperate to learn what’s going on, Kristine calls First Path Adoption Center, only to learn that they permanently closed down after being named in a class action lawsuit for falsifying documents, birth certificates, medical bills and health records. The center was also reportedly involved in trafficking some kids into the United States from third-class countries–like Ukraine.
Feeling more confused than ever, Kristine tries to talk to Natalia about it, but it doesn’t go well, and she ends up putting tacks all over the floor.
Elsewhere, Michael learns that he is losing his job, and Jacob interviews for a spot at Princeton University to study physics.
Episode 2 ends with Kristine finding a knife and decapitating a stuffed animal under Natalia’s bed. She then goes to confront her about it but instead finds her in the bathroom and learns that she has pubic hair, causing Kristine to believe that Natalia is not a 7-year-old girl and is instead much, much older.
Good American Family airs every Wednesday on Hulu at midnight EST.
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