7 Key Questions From The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks Including What Happened With The Mans

True Crime and Murder Porn, as South Park infamously dubbed the subgenre of shocking deathumentaries, is horror for people who want to pretend like they are more sophisticated than genre entertainment. It’s a guilty pleasure that oddly makes viewers feel better about their own lives. It’s the “Thank God it’s not me” syndrome. The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace got the update we all deserved Wednesday when Natalia Speaks aired with the explosive continuation of her story, including a showdown between Natalia and her adoptive father, Michael Barnett. It’s a sensational, unbelievable story about terrible people, murky adoption proceedings, lies, and abuse.

Orphan from 2009 has always been one of the best twists in horror cinema. It’s up there with Saw because not only is it shocking and terrifying, but Isabelle Fuhrman was a fantastic monster. Another case inspired the movie with similar details. Ukrainian adult Barbora Skrlova posed as a child named Anicka and was adopted by Klara Mauerová in the Czech Republic. Anicka claimed to be gravely sick, requiring multiple doctor’s visits, but she would only let her sister Katerina take her.

If that wasn’t bizarre enough, it eventually is revealed that they were all members of The Grail Movement, and everything was part of an elaborate sick scheme. Barbora, as Anicka, convinced her mother to violently and horrifically abuse Klara’s sons. Eventually, it all caught up with them, but in yet another bonkers twist, Anicka, disguised as a boy named Adam, escaped to Norway. It’s the kind of story that is so wild it has to be fiction, but it is real. You can read all the real story behind Orphan: First Kill here. As bizarre and tragic as that case was, Natalia’s is just as wild and even more lengthy.

In just the first episode of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, we learn that poor Natalia has proof of everything she has been trying to tell people for years. Dental records, including corroborating first-hand accounts of the x-rays, prove Kristine knew how old Natalia was. Additionally, there are interviews with neighbors, genetic scientists, and Natalia’s current parents. There is evidence that Natalia was supposed to be adopted by another family, the Dupauls. It’s a complicated, convoluted story that is so wild it could only be true. The shocking twists keep coming throughout all six episodes of The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks. Here are the seven biggest questions ahead of the inevitable Season 3.

What happened to Natalia in Ukraine, and was she trafficked to America?

Details are pretty scarce from her days in the Ukranian orphanage. Most of the records from Natalia’s time there were destroyed, and very few people are talking about what really happened. Natalia’s birth mother admits to giving the child up, but her mother doesn’t want to speak at all. Natalia has no memory of how she got to America or why she was moved to begin with. The super sketchy nature of her relocation raises major red flags that Natalia might have been sold into and whisked across the globe to America for unknown reasons.

Who knows what terrors she saw in the orphanage and in the time after? Natalia remembers a kind foster family she was with briefly and a terrifying masked man, but the rest is a blur or a blank spot. Considering how young she was, it’s lucky she remembers anything at all. Considering what she may have gone through, it is probably best she doesn’t remember much. Human traffickers are notoriously good at staying hidden, so we may never know what happened to her or who was involved. They may still be operating, moving children around for the highest bidder.

Why did the DuPauls have their adoption blocked?

It appears that the DuPauls found themselves entangled in an extortion scheme to pay for Natalia’s extensive medical care. After all the medical bills and legal fees plus alleged extortion payments to the Ciccones, who were Natalia’s adoptive family before the Barnetts, the DuPauls backed out because, financially, they could not continue to pursue adoption. They maintained their support of Natalia and were heartbroken for her.

Why did Kristine and Michael adopt Natalia Grace in the first place?

The sad fact is the Barnetts appeared to adopt Natalia for image and profit. Kristine was writing a book about her biological children and how effectively she had created geniuses. There was substantial book and movie money to be gained, and Kristine had created an online persona that she needed to nurture and protect. Natalia was everything she was looking for. She was a sympathetic young girl with a sad story and an eagerness to please. Originally, Natalia was in Kristine’s book The Spark, but all traces of her were removed. The Barnett’s continue to insist they adopted Natalia because they wanted someone to love. Yet, they have no answer for going through with the adoption after they had serious questions about her age.

Michael says he never met Natalia’s previous adoptive parents, yet doubts swirl around this. They both claim they were told they had to decide quickly to adopt Natalia even before meeting her. This does not match the timeline, evidence from the courts, and eyewitness accounts from the adoption center, so we don’t know what happened. There are so many shady people involved it’s nearly impossible to know who knew what, when, and why they did what they did.

Is Natalia Grace a sociopath or the victim of one terrible situation after another?

Have we all been duped? Natalia’s story is so outlandish and tragic everyone wants to believe her. Anyone watching the docuseries practically wept with relief and joy along with her when she officially became a Mans. Then the bombshell dropped, and just six months later, the bloom was off the rose already.

So much of the alleged problematic or dangerous behavior could be chalked up as typical for a child who had been forced into a horrific situation and either didn’t know better or was lashing out. If you had known only violence and abuse, it would be reasonable to react violently. Also, repeating inappropriate language or actions would be plausible. If a young child was living in an adult psychiatric facility and later on her own, it would be understandable for her to seek attention and affection however she could get it. It doesn’t mean she was a twenty-two-year-old woman. It meant she was a troubled and abused child.

Likewise, if she were violent towards her siblings or parents, that would be understandable given the abuse they inflicted on her that has been admitted to. Whether you believe her or not is up to you. As with most stories, the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle. That doesn’t mean Natalia lied about anything, just that she was so traumatized and so young her memory may be faulty. For all anyone knows, the abuse she has endured maybe even worse than anyone knows.

Why does her pepper spray story change?

One of the inconsistencies in Natalia Grace’s story is the pepper spray incidents. Initially, she says she was sprayed during lessons because she couldn’t answer. Later, she claims it happened several times, including once at school. This hardly seems plausible as someone would smell the toxic spray and surely would have seen it happen. Additionally, she tells Michale the first time it happened was to show her what it would feel like. She was a little girl who was scared and alone, so she may not remember things correctly, but details like that make her doubters point at her guilt.

How much did Michael lie about in his meeting with Natalia?

Michael Barnett, as well as his wife, were acquitted in their cases, but he does admit to a fair amount of child abuse. He claims he only learned about most of it but does admit to witnessing severe beatings. His excuse is Kristine was a “monster” who victimized both of them. He claimed she made recordings to make him look bad, poisoned his biological children against him, and threatened him daily. She denies all of this, and Natalia has no knowledge of these altercations between Kristine and Michael. As a result, it is virtually impossible to know what he knew when.

He was recorded talking to his son Jacob about some of the abuse, and those recordings contradict his confession to Natalia. He also refuses to discuss Natalia’s re-aging, so we cannot know whose idea that was. All we have is the dramatic confrontation between Natalia and Michael. He recanted a lot of what he told the courts and admitted to lying about things like her age and some of her dangerous behavior. He pushed back on the knife story, though. Natalia said she didn’t remember that, but Michael insisted it had happened. Who knows what really happened in that house?

Everything about the over-the-top self-proclaimed victim is suspect, though. His carefully curated clothing, designed to project an image of a “regular” Dad doing his best, is contradicted by the ridiculous car he pulls away in with the radio blaring. Crocodile tears never quite ran down his face, and everything seemed a tad too rehearsed. He could be a victim. He might also be a monster.

What happened between the Mans and Natalia Grace in the six months following the adoption decree?

Natalia and the Mans had been living together for years by the time they made things official. In Natalia Grace Speaks, we learned she moved in with them when she was nine years old. For a decade, things were fine. We know there were a few incidents. She bit another child and was verbally and physically combative at times, but the Mans insisted all of it was attributable to her trauma and not troublesome. Something happened just six months after they were made an official family. Were the Mans angry she wanted to spread her wings and take her disability check with her? Was there a specific event that led to their break?

The trio was on Dr. Phil to “set the record straight,” which could have been an attempt to correct public perception. However, it could just as likely be a publicity stunt to profit from Natalia’s story. There are also rumors of a GO FUND ME page that may or may not have been intended to go to Natalia and her continuing medical treatment and quality of life. We may never know if the Mans, who appeared extremely religious during the docuseries, were as presented. In the docuseries they were overtly devoted, deeply spiritual, and supportive. In the recorded clips provided at the end of the sixth episode Of Natalia Grace Speaks, they sounded very different.

Antwon, in particular, speaks in a tone inconsistent with the speech pattern he used in the docuseries. His speech was very measured in most of the six-episode arc, but then the recording delivers a different version of him. “Something ain’t right with Natalia. This girl is tweaking,” Antwon claimed to show producers in a voiceover. “I feel like she’s the enemy in the house. And she said to us, we have held her hostage. Made us look like we’re the enemy.” Maybe he was angry, which colored his speech. Social media posts indicate that whatever happened has been resolved, so the clips may be nothing more than publicity to whip up interest in The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace Season 3.

The only thing we can know for certain is Natalia is roughly the age she appears to be, and she was abandoned by the Barnetts after enduring some abuse. Dental X-rays and genetic testing can’t be faked, and both Michael and Natalia remember the abuse. We can say for sure that this story isn’t over yet, and everything we are presented is intended to entertain us first and educate us second. You can stream it right now on MAX.