Good American Family (2025) s01e02 Episode Script
Jump the Jitters Out
1
So you see, I may have
written a book on parenting,
but I don't have it
all figured out.
Kristine Barnett, you're under arrest
for child neglect,
the abandonment of a dependent
and conspiracy to commit neglect.
You have the right
to remain silent.
[Kristine Barnett]
Do you know who I am?
-[crowd gasping]
-Do you know how many children I saved?
[Michael Barnett] Previously,
on Good American Family
[Sandy Mosley] [on phone] This is
First Path Adoptions in Myrtle Beach.
We have a little girl here
who I think you will love.
This is Natalia.
Hi.
Are you gonna be
my mommy and daddy?
We usually just add the
past medical expenses
onto the other fees,
if that works for you.
We have to pay for
her surgeries?
We maxed out our credit card
just to get down here.
-[tense music playing]
-[Natalia Grace] I hate baths.
How about you can stand in the tub
and I can wash your--
-I said no!
-[grunts]
Mommy, I'm so sorry.
Mommy, I'm so sorry.
-Mommy, I'm sorry.
-[groans]
[Michael]
I get the tantrum
Now, now, now! I wanna go
to the beach now!
[clatters]
[Michael] the whole running thing,
I mean, what was that?
Well, she's a kid,
she didn't just
go out and buy a walker.
Did you give her Pop-Tarts
after she didn't eat her dinner?
It's not a big deal.
Wasn't a big deal then
why didn't you mention it?
-We're supposed to be on the same team.
-Don't do that.
We are on the same team.
[eerie music playing]
Hi sweet pea.
Do you wanna get in and cuddle?
No. Not time yet.
[music intensifies]
[Michael] He first came to see me
in the fall of 2019,
and when he showed up,
I'm not gonna lie,
I was a little nervous.
My wife and kids are inside,
so it'll be quieter out here.
-Is this okay?
-Perfect.
Okay.
-Mind if I
-Oh, so, uh, we're doing that?
Uh, it won't bite.
I mean, yeah, I-- I guess it's, uh
it's fine.
[door closes]
I thought you guys might
like some pop.
Uh, Detective Drysdale,
this is my-- my wife Jennifer.
-This is, uh, Wyatt.
-Thank you.
-Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Barnett.
-Likewise.
So, I'll leave you to it?
Yeah.
-Love you.
-[Jennifer Barnett] Yeah.
[back door opens, closes]
-She seems nice.
-The best.
How long you two been married?
A couple years,
but you know, we're still, uh,
full-on honeymoon phase.
You know, she's, um
she's a complete opposite
-of my first, so
-Right.
Word is, it was a mean divorce.
Yeah, that's what I thought
this might be.
Um, listen, man, I--
Those things that Kristine says
about me that-- [stammers]
don't believe it, okay?
It's not true.
She's-- she's a liar.
No, man. Listen, believe me,
you seem like a good guy.
And I've heard plenty
about how rough your ex is.
-[chuckles]
-That's why I'm here,
to get it from the
horse himself.
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
Okay, I mean, if that's the case,
then, uh, um
"neigh," I guess?
[both laughing]
Now, I gather that your
boys are with her.
-Uh-huh.
-And you have a daughter too.
-Natalia, right?
-Mm-hmm.
She with your ex as well?
No, God no.
I mean,
[scoffs] they don't even speak.
I mean, you put those
two together,
it's like
[mimics explosions]
fricking World War Three,
man.
[exhales sharply] Huh.
So, how did things between your ex
and Natalia turn ugly?
-[tense, curious music playing]
-[exhales sharply]
I don't even know
where to start.
-The beginning's always good.
-Okay.
To start at the beginning,
uh, Kristine is-- is insane.
And she's also the--
basically, the devil.
But she's the worst
kind of devil, you know,
because she thinks
she's God's gift
[over recording]
to the whole dang world.
[Detective Drysdale] [on recording]
How do you mean?
[Michael] Do you know
what a savior complex is?
[Detective Drysdale] Sure.
[Michael] Yeah, well,
that's, that's Kristine.
You know, she takes credit
for all of Jacob's success.
She does that with
all the kids she works with.
That's why we adopted
Natalia in the first place
-What is this?
-[Michael] so she could save her.
-When did you do this?
-[Michael] When that didn't work out,
that's when the proverbial
crap hit the fan.
[tape player clicks,
recording stops]
Mr. Barnett and I
spoke last week.
That's why we could
arrest you today.
Well, let me tell you something.
Don't believe anything
that man says.
I swear to God,
he's the real devil here.
[dramatic music plays]
[curious theme music playing]
[flag flapping in breeze]
♪♪
[bridge cracking]
[engine humming]
[TV static buzzing]
[paper cutting]
[theme music fades out]
[rain pattering outside]
[Kristine softly gasping]
[soft ominous music playing]
[exhales deeply]
[Kristine]
This was 2010,
almost two weeks
after we brought Natalia home.
[soft ominous music continues]
[whispers] Natalia.
Natalia.
[Natalia]
What are you doing, Mommy?
I thought I heard you
come in our room just now.
Just wanna check
and make sure you're okay.
Did you? Just come in our room?
[Natalia]
I don't think so.
Nighttime isn't for wandering,
sweet pea.
It's for sleeping.
That's what I had been doing.
Can I hold Hercules
for a minute?
Why?
Just wanna give her a checkup,
like at the doctor.
We hate doctors.
Okay, not the doctor then.
Just
Mom, Mom, stop.
-Natalia, just--
-Mom, no.
-Mommy! No.
-Natalia.
-Stop it! No, no!
-Shh!
Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hey, hey, hey.
-No, stop it!
-What's going on? What's going on?
Daddy, please.
Tell Mommy not to take Hercules.
I wasn't out of bed,
I promise. Please.
Don't worry, baby. Why would Mommy want
to take Hercules?
It was a misunderstanding.
I just wanted to make sure
that Hercules had enough hugs.
So, you do, uh
Let's check.
[light, tense music playing]
Um, okay.
-[sighs] So, honey--
-No.
It's okay, sweetheart.
Just-- just real quick.
Everything's gonna be fine.
Mommy's just gonna--
And you didn't just
come in our room?
Is Mommy okay?
Y-Yes. Y--
She's just tired.
She's just tired.
You know what,
we have a big day tomorrow.
Mommy always puts ice cream
in our cereal
on the first day of school.
Will you tuck me
in again, Daddy?
Of course I will, sweetie.
Of course I will.
-Here's your Hercules, honey.
-Thank you, Daddy.
-[Michael] There you go. Okay.
-[Natalia whimpers]
[sighs]
You're welcome, sweetie pie.
[tense music playing]
[sighs]
Kris, what the--
what the heck's going on?
She came in our room earlier,
and it looked like
she had a knife.
But they're all here,
so I guess I must be crazy.
[music softens]
-[drawer banging]
-Dang it!
[sighs]
Oh, baby, I'm sorry. You okay?
-Hey, let me see, let me see.
-[Kristine groans]
Hey, look, you're just--
Honey, you're just tired.
You-- you're stressed,
and you had a bad dream.
-Come on, let's go to bed. Come on.
-No, it wasn't a bad dream.
I know what that feels like.
This wasn't that.
Hey, what's going on, huh?
Come on.
-[exhales sharply]
-Talk to me.
I thought I saw something,
and then no, it w-- it wasn't.
Don't go there.
I know what you're doing.
Stress dreams feel really real.
That's all this was, okay?
You are not your dad.
You're not.
Okay, so say it was
a stress dream.
That's almost worse.
I'm not myself with her.
I get frustrated so easy.
We're not connecting.
And Michael, how am I
supposed to be her mother
if I can't talk to her?
Do you hear yourself right now?
Do you remember this
conversation
that we had about
another one of our kids?
And look what you did there.
That kid's being recruited
by Princeton.
-Jake is special.
-So are you.
Heck, you're gonna
be in the papers
because of what you can do.
This is a tough nut.
Natalia is a tough nut to crack.
But you will.
You are Kristine Barnett.
-Maybe I've lost my touch.
-Bulldink, okay?
You've been doing this
for 15 years, honey.
Nobody cares for kids
like you do.
Nobody understands them better.
That's all Natalia is,
she's just another kid.
Another kid who needs you,
honey.
You're exhausted.
You've been taking
care of all of us.
Honey, you've been taking
care of me.
And that's my fault, okay?
I got-- I got knocked out flat
by the Blanca thing.
I did, okay? But I--
Hey. Hey. I'm back.
I'm back, baby.
And I wanna take care
of you, okay?
What if you let me--
what if you let me
take care of you
for a little bit, huh?
What if we made this my turn?
Would that be nice?
Hmm, there she is.
There's my girl.
-Mm.
-[kissing]
Yeah. It could be nice.
I need my cow!
I know, baby.
But if we can't find her,
we're gonna have to come up
with another option.
-No!
-What about we talk about something?
What about our trip to Omaha?
I mean, it is called
Show and Tell, right?
No one does "Tell," Mom.
Well, maybe it needs
a rebranding then.
I wanna bring Bessie Cow, Mom.
When's the ice cream?
It's your sister's first
day, not yours.
So, when she comes down.
Right, then I'm gonna
go get her.
[Michael] Morning, zoo crew.
Hey, am I in the paper?
Not yet, hot stuff.
[Ethan Barnett]
Mom! Bessie?!
Did you check the laundry room?
No.
Pulled out a suit for you.
Yeah, I saw that.
I'm not sure why.
It's just a meet-and-greet.
-Hey, who's driving me?
-Me.
We're gonna get your sister
set up at school
and then run over to Jacob's place
for my session,
and then head out to IUPUI
for your interview with
[emphatically]
Princeton.
-It's a meet-and-greet.
-With
[Michael and Kristine]
Princeton!
You guys are just
embarrassing yourselves.
-Enough.
-[Wesley Barnett] Natalia won't come out.
She says she's too tired because Mom
woke her up in the middle of the night.
[Ethan] Mommy!
Bessie Cow's not in here either.
It's okay.
Hey, you stay on cow patrol.
I'll go check on Natalia, okay?
-[knocking]
-Knock, knock, rise and shine.
[Natalia]
Come in.
Ta-da.
Are those Ethan's?
I didn't like what
Mommy picked.
Well, she just wants
you to look nice
for your first day photos,
honey.
That dress is for a 5-year-old.
Did you at least ask Ethan
before you took his clothes?
[Natalia]
I just
I don't want everyone
to think I'm a dumb baby.
[scoffs] Honey, no one's gonna
think that, okay?
Look, when I-- when
I first met you,
I thought you were at least 45.
-May-- maybe 50 even.
-[chuckles]
I wish you were taking me,
Daddy.
Me too, kiddo.
But I got the boss' bosses
coming into the store tomorrow,
you know?
-So, I gotta get it all ready for them.
-[groaning]
I know. But
do you know what I do
when I have something
really scary at work like this?
[whispering]
I jump the jitters out.
[softly] What?
[babbling wildly]
-You do that at work?
-Yes, it helps get me outta my head.
[singing] Jump the jitters, whoa, jump,
jump the jitters out ♪
I jump the jitters, jump,
jump the jitters out ♪
-Try it, here you go.
-[Natalia giggling]
Jump the jitters, jump,
jump the jitters out ♪
-Jump, jump the jitters out ♪
-[laughing]
Jump the jitters,
jump, jump the jitters out ♪
Watch out, here comes the worm.
-Here it comes.
-No!
Whoa, whoa.
-[light, tense music playing]
-[Natalia giggling]
Natalia.
What happened here?
Where's the head?
I was just playing with it.
You were--
You know, Ethan's been
looking all over for this.
Please, please don't tell Mommy
I broke it.
-Please don't tell. Please--
-[Kristine] Mike, we gotta motor.
Can you get
Natalia's registration folder?
-Yeah, we'll be right down, honey.
-Daddy, no. Daddy, please.
Daddy, please, Daddy, please don't tell
Mommy I broke it.
Please don't tell Mommy.
Please don't.
-Please don't.
-Hey, hey, hold on.
-Please don't tell, please.
-Hey, look. You're okay.
Take a breath.
You're okay.
Look at me.
[sighs]
I shouldn't do this,
but I promise I won't tell.
But you have to work
on being brave enough
to tell Mommy yourself, okay?
Young child with dreams ♪
["Shilo" by
Neil Diamond playing]
Dreaming each dream
on your own ♪
What took you slowpokes so long?
-And what happened to her dress?
-Game time switcheroo, Mom.
-Alright.
-Well, hop in,
or we're not gonna get there
in time to take a picture.
-Oh, my goodness, so much
-[overlapping chatter]
Seems like you end up alone ♪
[Michael]
Buckles! Alright
Papa says he'd love
to be with you ♪
You guys have the best day ever!
-[kids] Bye, Dad!
-Alright, bye.
-I need that folder.
-Oh, folder, yes.
So you turn to the only
friend you can find ♪
Okay, that's gonna
cost you a kiss.
-There in your mind ♪
-Bye, guys.
Shilo, when I was young ♪
-I used to call your name ♪
-[Kristine] Smile, Natalia.
[Wesley]
Show the pearly whites.
When no one else would come ♪
Shiloh, you always came,
and we played ♪
[indistinct chatter]
Young girl with fire ♪
[Kristine] As soon as we saw
the photo, we fell in love.
We flew right down.
It was an emergency situation--
a child in need--
we had to act.
But in this kind of adoption,
all personal information
is strictly confidential.
-It's called redacted.
-Mm-hmm.
Well, maybe. [stammering]
I just-- I'm not seeing much
that I can go on here.
I mean, this one's not
even in English.
That's her birth certificate.
Yeah, it just kind of
looks fake to me.
Oh, because it's a photocopy.
Okay, um, do you have
her school records?
It's withheld too,
because it's all confidential.
So, where am I supposed
to put her?
Does this mean I don't have
to go to school?
No, sweet pea. We're gonna get it
straightened out.
[Dr. Wachter] Alright, so we're gonna
leave the swords at home next time,
foam or otherwise?
Alright, buddy, back to class.
Dr. Wachter, Kristine Barnett.
Wes and Ethan are in
third and first grade.
Of course. Such great kids.
So, we've just adopted
Natalia here.
-Trying to get her enrolled.
-Without any paperwork.
-What grade are you, sweetheart?
-A-plus.
-[laughing] I bet.
-[Kristine] She's seven.
But we don't have records
from her previous school.
-It was a closed adoption.
-No problem, I've dealt with that before.
We can, uh, put her in first
until we can do some testing.
Do you have her vax records?
-Uh, everything is here.
-Ah, thank you. [chuckles]
Ah, you adopted her
in New Jersey?
No, South Carolina. Why?
The fax number here. My mother-in-law's
from Montclair.
I, uh, block every call
with a 201 area code.
[Dr. Wachter chuckling]
Hmm.
Why'd they redact
the dates of the shots?
That-- that I've never seen.
Oh, just being thorough,
I guess.
Privacy?
[tense, curious music playing]
Natalia, do you remember
when the last time you had
some shots was, sweetheart?
-I don't like shots.
-Who does?
Well, is it okay for her to start?
It's getting late.
Well, I'm not sure
these will fly long-term,
but the state gives us a 20-day
grace period on vaccinations.
So, if you can get us the full list
over the next few weeks,
-we'll be cruising.
-Great.
So, you want Mommy
to walk us to class?
-Let's go.
-No, thank you, I'm a big girl.
-I can just go with you.
-[Dr. Wachter] Mm.
-Okay, well, look at you.
-[Natalia giggling]
[Michael] So, we gotta get
in their heads, you know?
If I'm corporate, one thing
I am definitely checking
is that our top selling SKUs
are well stocked on
the floor, right?
So, right away, on the way back,
I noticed we're a little low
on the LG-65-LED-80-HNA
and the SAM-70-LCD-72-FHA.
Every dang time. It's scary.
You know, we don't
speak SKU, Mike.
You've got that in English?
Sorry, humans. Translating.
[imitating a robot]
The LG 65-inch and the Sam 70.
Oh.
[imitating robot] Oh, copy you.
For real though, man, shit like that's
why you're getting a promotion.
You're gonna jinx me.
Where-- Now, where's the wood?
Where's the wood? Ah!
["Don't Cha" by The Pussycat Dolls
ringtone playing]
-Oh, God.
-Wow.
-Mike.
-So, so embarrassing.
Kristine made this her ringtone
a while back, I forgot to change it.
I hear that's how he won her heart,
by knowing the SKU
to the Samsung 60-inch.
I'm never gonna
live this down, am I?
Hey babe, how'd it go at school?
[Kristine] [on phone]
Not great.
They almost
didn't let her enroll.
What? Why?
[Kristine] Because all her vax records
were redacted.
Dr. Wachter said he's never
even seen that before.
Okay, but they let
her in, right?
[Kristine] For now.
But also, Mike, all the records
were faxed from New Jersey.
Don't you think that's weird?
Uh, I don't know.
Why is that weird?
[Kristine] Because we adopted
her from South Carolina.
-So?
-So, why would a family from New Jersey
go to South Carolina to
put a kid up for adoption?
Uh, I don't know.
Why would a family from Indiana
adopt a kid from South Carolina?
Well, because that's where the kid was,
Mike, it's different.
[Michael] [on phone]
Why is this bothering you?
I-It's gonna be fine.
They let her in, right?
[Kristine]
For now.
We have to get
the actual vax records though.
Okay, so you'll call
First Path, right?
Yeah, yeah. Fine.
I'll handle it.
I gotta go.
Wait till you see what
I got you at the junk store
this time, Shawny.
-[indistinct chatter]
-[Shawn giggles]
Okay, sweetie, I have to run,
but I'll get that screwdriver
and we'll open up the rest of it
another time, okay?
-Okay.
-Okay.
[indistinct chatter]
Shawny did great today.
Oh, well, this is her nirvana.
[chuckles]
Oh, hey.
They called me for a quote
-about the Jake's Place article.
-Oh!
I told them that you're
Indiana's own miracle worker.
[laughing]
Cute, right?
I just wish it would
come out already.
I want people to see
what we're doing here.
I know, I totally get it.
I mean, that's exactly
how I feel
whenever I have a listing
that's ripe for a bidding war,
it's torture.
Trust me, this place
is gonna be huge.
You're gonna have more
enrollments than you know what to do with.
[Kristine]
Mm
-From your lips.
-[Valika chuckles]
Alright, enough belly gazing.
Gotta skedaddle.
Today is Jake's Princeton
interview.
[gasps] How exciting.
Good luck.
Go get 'em.
-[phone chimes]
-Call First Path Adoptions, Myrtle Beach.
[line ringing]
Wheels up in 10, bud.
[line ringing]
-[disconnected tone rings]
-[automated voice] We're sorry.
You have reached a number
that has been disconnected
or is no longer in service.
[hangs up]
[keyboard clacking]
"First Path Adoptions."
[tense, curious music playing]
[Kristine gasps]
[Jacob Barnett]
You okay, Mom?
Yeah, bud. Peachy.
Get packing up though,
we gotta scoot.
♪♪
[Sandy] [on voicemail]
Hi, it's Sandy.
You know the drill.
-[phone beeps]
-Hi, Sandy. Kristine Barnett here.
You helped us adopt
Natalia Grace.
It's all going great.
Except today, when we went
to enroll her in school,
we were missing some
key paperwork.
So, call me back, would you?
Also, what in the blue blazes
is up with First Path?
Did they close?
[hangs up]
Okay.
Princeton, here we come.
I'm primarily focused
on particle physics,
but right now I'm
also taking a class
in philosophy and physics.
The direct nature of time,
probability of
statistical mechanics,
-that sort of thing.
-I was a French major,
so you'll have
to give me a little more
-[in French] Contexte?
-S'il te plaît.
He speaks Arabic too.
Cool, so basically-- well, one thing we
like to talk about
is how humans perceive
something like this.
-What do you think this is?
-Well, I know what that is. It's a pen.
Good guess.
But you're ignoring the millions
of molecules that go into this.
You're simplifying to see
what you need out of a pen
instead of what it actually is.
It's what we do as humans.
You know, we assign
meaning to objects.
It's efficient, but
that doesn't mean
it's the actual truth
of the object.
So, you're telling me
that's not a pen?
So then, what about me? Am I me?
You're definitely you.
You just may not be
who you think you are.
Whoa.
See, now that is très French.
[all laughing]
-[phone ringing]
-[gasps] Oh.
Real quick.
Hello.
Hi, Sandy.
Thanks for returning my call.
[Sandy] [on phone] Listen,
your daughter is gonna be just fine.
'Kay? She's, she's one
of the lucky ones.
Just--
Best to leave it at that.
Wait, what?
What do you mean?
[Sandy] If you just stop
asking questions,
you probably won't
be implicated.
I-- I'm sorry?
Implicated for what?
-What are you talking about?
-[Sandy] That's all I can say.
Don't call me again.
[call ends]
-Looks nice, right?
-Yeah, it's beautiful.
Sorry about that. Work stuff.
Oh, no worries. We were just talking
about housing.
So, since Jacob would be
transferring in as a sophomore,
-he would be assigned residential--
-Jake is 12.
-He can't live on his own.
-[phone ringing]
Mom, seriously?
[phone ringing]
This is your brothers' school.
The problem is,
uh, it wasn't just one kid.
She rammed several students
with her walker.
But all the kids are okay.
Well, they're just
shaken up a little bit.
But Mrs. Barnett, I had to leave
Running Club for this.
And I will admit
that I feel a bit betrayed.
Betrayed? How so?
Well, when we agreed
to take Natalia this morning,
you neglected to mention
her severe behavioral issues.
Well, because there
hasn't been any.
-No troubling behavior at home, or?
-No.
Just the usual temper tantrum
or some cranky kid stuff.
And I have to ask you--
well, you may not know,
because you were
at Running Club.
What was going on
before this happened?
Were the kids teasing her?
Are you saying the children
deserved to be hurt?
No, but I find it
hard to believe
that Natalia just
started randomly
ramming her walker
into kids unprovoked.
As I'm sure you're aware,
children with disabilities
are often the victims
of bullying.
Mm-hmm, although from
what I understand,
it was Natalia who was
doing the bullying.
What about her previous family,
her past schools?
Are you aware of issues there?
Well, as we established
this morning,
I don't have her school records.
-I'm working on getting them.
-Okay.
Well [sighs]
perhaps it would be
better if we wait
until we have some more
information on Natalia
for her to come back to school.
You're suspending her
on her first day?
Do you know how destabilizing
that'll be for her
while she's in the middle
of this massive transition?
I'm sorry, but I'm an advocate
for kids in need.
And if Natalia is having
behavioral issues, this is why.
Because of all that's
been done to her.
If it's helpful to you,
I'd be happy to come in
and have a workshop
for your faculty
on working with kids
with disabilities.
[Dr. Wachter]
Thank you, that's so kind.
But, uh, you know,
we don't have to consider this
a, a suspension, per se.
This is an opportunity for us
to get some more information
and reassess.
It might just be that we have her
in the wrong grade.
[Natalia humming]
[Kristine] Can we talk about what happened
at school today, sweet pea?
[Natalia continues humming]
I know you would never hurt
anybody on purpose, Natalia.
A kid must have done
something to you.
[continues humming]
Did someone do something?
[Natalia continues humming]
I'm trying to talk
to you, sweetie.
[stops humming]
I should've worn something else.
Did someone say something mean?
[Natalia's foot tapping]
You know, you can
tell me anything.
[tapping continues]
And that goes for whatever--
stuff now, or stuff
that happened
before you came to us
with your other family.
Where was that, anyway?
Were you in South Carolina,
or did you maybe take a trip
from New Jersey?
I thought you weren't allowed
to ask questions
because it's closed.
We're family.
I'm allowed to ask you anything,
and you're allowed to tell me.
Okay? Anything you want.
I don't remember.
[lock clacking]
Natalia, stop that.
It's dangerous.
Were you happy with
your other family?
Did something happen there
that made you sad?
I was just sad to leave them.
[wind blowing, traffic rushing]
Natalia!
-[tires screeching]
-[horn honking]
[car horns honking]
[tires screeching]
[traffic rushing by]
[soft tense music playing]
Natalia Grace!
Don't you ever do that again!
Do you know how dangerous
that was?!
[Natalia humming]
[humming echoes]
[curious music playing]
[pop-up chimes]
[crunches]
[Kristine] "First Path
Falsifying Adoptions."
[mouse clicking]
[survivor 1] We had two
beautiful weeks with Miguel
before they told us
there was a custodial issue
and they took him back
[survivor 2] They promised
our baby to two other families.
[survivor 3] We never got
the baby they promised us.
Now, we might lose our house.
[survivor 4] and ever since that
second adoption fell through,
my wife is a wreck.
Cries all the time,
can't get off the sofa.
They destroyed her!
[survivor 5] Then two weeks
before the due date,
they said our birth mother was
shot and killed
[Justine Bowman]
My name is Justine.
-I live outside Indianapolis.
-Oh.
-And First Path ruined my life too.
-Mom, what's up?
Tough crossword tonight.
-[typing]
-Sorry for the Rando DM.
I adopted a child from
First Path too.
I live near you and
was wondering
What's up, fam jam?
Hi.
How's everybody doing?
-Mm!
-Mwah! Mm.
-How was Princeton?
-[laughs]
Kid's a shoe-in.
And Natalia? Everything
go smoothly
once you got her settled?
She did great.
Awesome. She sleeping?
Yeah, they went down
about an hour ago.
Just us chickens now.
I might just go take
a little peek in on her.
-[Kristine] Okay.
-Oh, so, uh, Jenn
had a little shower at work,
and she refused the leftovers.
[tapping]
Guys, red velvet.
-Oh.
-Just sayin'.
-Don't stay up too late.
-[Kristine] Ooh. Okay.
Maniacs.
Red velvet. Oh.
-No.
-Oh.
Looks like someone murdered it.
[scoffs]
Not even Wes would eat that.
Have a cookie.
So, how come you didn't tell Dad
that Natalia got
kicked out of school?
[crunches]
Did you see how happy
your dad was just now?
I just believe he deserves
to stay that way.
What about you though?
You don't seem happy.
What makes you say that?
Well, you basically ate
all the cookies yourself.
Now it looks like you're gonna
eat the cake too?
Also, you almost
screwed up my interview
after trying to make me
wear a suit to it.
Sorry
that I had to keep
running out like that.
I just
It's okay. I actually had fun.
I hope I get in, don't you?
You deserve to be happy too.
I'm just not sure I'm ready
to give you up to dorm life yet.
I'm going in.
Oh, gosh.
[notification chirps]
[Justine]
Hi there.
Happy to tell you about
my experience with First Path.
The headline is,
because of those criminals,
I had to give my daughter back.
[light, tense music playing]
[Kristine] [typing]
I'm so sorry. What happened?
-[notification chirps]
-[Justine] I'll tell you, but not online.
I'm not at liberty
to speak freely.
[Michael] I just feel like
she's the missing puzzle piece
in our family, you know?
Just, just fits right in.
[sighs]
Do you remember when
Wes used to sleep sideways?
Like with his head
on our bellies like this?
Natalia does the same
thing with me.
It is so cute, it kills me.
Uh, can you take her
to work with you tomorrow?
Doesn't she have school?
Well, turns out they need
the full vax chart
before she can go back,
so it's just a,
a red tape thing.
Well, that sucks.
Did you call First Path?
Are they gonna send it?
Yeah, yeah, it'll be fine.
I just-- I have a lot
of students tomorrow,
so I can't take her.
Oh, uh, tomorrow's
tough for me too.
I have corporate coming,
so I don't--
I could bring her to my mom's.
Uh, you know, no.
Uh, I will get one of the guys
at work to watch her,
and we'll just say it's
Take Your Daughter to Work Day.
-It'll be fun.
-Perfect.
-[Michael] There she is.
-[Natalia giggling]
Hi. Daddy, it's me.
-[Michael] It's you!
-[giggles]
Well, there's-- there's
a lot of yous.
There's one, two, three, four
I can't even count that much.
-I love it. So many Natalias!
-[giggling]
There's one. That's my favorite
one right there.
-I like this one.
-Wait, what about her?
Wow, Mike, you didn't
tell me Taylor Swift
was coming into the store today.
Can I get a picture?
Snap, snap, snap, snap.
So, Natalia, this is
my friend Jenn.
-Hi.
-And you are gonna hang out with her
while I go meet with
my bosses, cool?
Can't I just stay
with you, Daddy?
Oh, I get it.
Your dad's the coolest.
Do you want to hear a secret?
[whispers]
I've got a baby in here.
That's kind of obvious.
[laughing]
Well, that's not the secret.
Have you ever heard of cravings?
Mm-mm.
Cravings mean I'm always
hungry for sweet treats.
So, why don't we let your dad
go get his big fancy promotion,
and you and me,
we can go pig out.
How do donuts sound?
Donuts sound like,
"Eat me, eat me now."
[all laughing]
That is an incredible
impression.
We should probably find out what cocoa
sounds like too, right?
-Yeah.
-[Natalia and Jennifer] Yeah.
-Bye, Daddy.
-Have fun, sweetie.
Daddy's gonna miss you.
We really thought we had found
our daughter, but then
Okay, the story they gave us
was that her mom died
and her dad and stepmom
neglected her.
It was like Cinderella,
only I got to be the
fairy godmother.
And how'd you find out
that wasn't true?
[Justine]
Molly started to learn English.
She started saying stuff like,
"You're not my mom."
Like, "I miss my real mom."
In general, she was harder on me
than she was on Dale,
my husband.
Her mom died when she
was so young we thought.
But her English got better,
her stories got more specific,
like details about
her mom's cooking.
And one day, her mom told her
she got picked to go
to boarding school.
But instead of taking her to school,
they took her to us.
Do you think First Path
was doing this a lot?
[Justine]
Not always this.
Sometimes they'd make
fake birth certificates
or health records.
Anything to make kids
more appealing
to adopted families.
It's pure evil.
We're part of a
class action suit,
that's why I couldn't
talk to you online.
So, you think your daughter
might be
Maybe.
I don't know.
You should get a lawyer.
[light, tense music playing]
We gave all our savings
to First Path.
Well, reputable agencies
hate places like First Path.
Did you ever work with
another agency?
They might be able to help you.
You're okay.
[indistinct PA announcement]
You're okay.
[exhales sharply]
Jump, jump, jump.
[singing]
Jump the jitters ♪
Jump, jump the jitters out ♪
Jump, jump the jitters ♪
Jump, jump the jitters out ♪
Jump ♪
Hey.
Uh, yeah, come on.
[chuckles] Nice to see ya.
[Kristine]
The whole reason we did this
was to help Natalia,
to save a child.
So, the thought that I would
somehow be complicit
in taking her from her family,
I'd be devastated.
I can only imagine the pain
you must have been in
thinking you might
be losing her.
But, here's what makes me
feel better, Mrs. Barnett.
First, from what I can
see in our database,
Natalia came to the U.S.
through New Hope Christian Services.
They're a good reputable agency.
No history of trafficking.
-Really?
-Mm-hmm.
And second, and this is
good news for your family
and sad news for
I don't know,
the world, I guess.
Um, it would be unusual
in a country like Ukraine
for a child like your daughter
to be trafficked for adoption.
Kids with disabilities
aren't usually targeted.
They aren't considered, um
attractive.
What is more common
is for hospitals
to pressure moms
into giving up these kids
into state orphanages.
And they don't
live happy lives.
And you think that's what
happened with Natalia?
That would be my suspicion.
Okay.
My poor girl.
[Tom] We're called upon
to visit orphans
and widows in their afflictions.
[Kristine]
Amen.
And thank you
for squeezing me in so quick.
Oh, of course.
Anything I can do.
-Actually, there is one more thing.
-[Tom] Hm?
We need to get her
school records
to get her back in class.
Do you see those?
I can print these and I can redact the
personal info.
Or you could just leave it.
We are dying to know
more about our girl.
I wish I could.
You could go get a pop
or go to the bathroom.
Forget to put your
computer to sleep.
[laughing]
You're fun.
Uh, but maybe I just print it
and I, I redact the
secret stuff.
-That works too.
-Mm-hmm.
[Michael] All I've ever wanted
was a family
and a job that I love.
And with my Circuit crew,
I get both.
[both chuckle]
Well, your fam's conversion
and sales per square foot
-are super strong.
-We have a, a going gag.
Any associate that gets their average
up to two for the quarter,
I'll do a back flip
up at the register.
[both chuckling]
I'm not sure that jives
with corporate policy,
but I'd love to see it.
Man, that was not a smart bet
on my part.
I got some strivers on,
uh, this team.
Well, the numbers sure show it.
You know, I'm not sure if you're
finding this at other stores,
but, um, we just cannot
keep the new L--
Um
-The L-- uh
-You okay?
Yes, sorry.
I-- I just remembered,
I forgot to send a PO out
on some Samsungs.
Hey, hey.
Don't sweat the tiny stuff.
Your numbers are really great.
-Okay, yeah.
-Let me tell you
to be increasing in
sales right now
when everyone else
is plummeting,
that's meaningful.
Okay, okay.
Which is why it sucks so hard
to let you know that we're gonna
need to close the store.
[slightly gasps]
I know, I know.
It's a tough thing to hear.
It's a tough thing to say too,
though I, uh, have the routine
down these days, so
Here's what happens next.
Hold off on telling your team
until HR reaches out.
Then, you're gonna
do a fire sale,
try to liquidate.
What?
Do you have the time
to listen to me whine ♪
About nothing and everything
all at once? ♪
["Basket Case" by Green Day
playing on stereo]
-I am one of those ♪
-Do you mind the music?
This is Daddy's mad music,
so it's gonna get a little loud, okay?
-I-I don't mind.
-You sure it's okay?
Neurotic to the bone,
no doubt about it ♪
Thank you.
[raises volume]
Sometimes I give myself
the creeps ♪
It's gonna be okay 'cause I'm gonna
get another job.
Sometimes my mind
plays tricks on me ♪
[laughing] It's gonna be okay.
I'll get another job.
It all keeps adding up,
I think I'm cracking up ♪
Am I just paranoid
or am I just stoned? ♪
-I went to a shrink ♪
-[lowers volume]
Hey sweetheart, um,
is it okay if we don't tell
mommy what happened?
'Cause I just need to, um
It needs to be
the right moment, okay?
I-I'll wait till you're
brave enough
to tell her yourself.
Thank you. I'm gonna
turn the music up again, okay?
Okay.
I'm gonna get a little loud,
is that okay?
-Okay.
-[raises volume]
Sometimes I give myself
the creeps ♪
-Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me ♪
-[screaming]
-Alright, sweetie, here we go.
-[Natalia moans]
-Hi.
-[Michael sighs]
-How was your day?
-Why are you in my room?
I went shopping.
You went shopping?
With-- with what money?
I was excited. I got all the paperwork
sorted out,
so we're ready to go
back to school.
And I thought these
would be perfect
for Natalia's second first day.
I don't wanna go to school.
I know the first day
was hard, honey.
But we can start all over.
We can even retake
your pictures.
-I don't wanna go to school!
-[board clatters]
I wanna go to work with Daddy!
It's okay. It's okay.
[light, tense music playing]
Sweetie, I'm sure you
were very helpful.
Daddy's been at that
job a long time.
He knows how to get by.
But, now he has an
even busier job.
-He got a big fancy promotion.
-[Kristine] Oh, wow.
Guess I should have shopped
even harder then, huh?
-[chuckles]
-Congrats, babe.
Eh, you know.
It's-- It's not--
not a big thing.
-[phone ringing]
-[birds chirping]
[ringing continues]
Hey, Val, you okay?
[Valika] [on phone]
Oh, no, did I wake you?
I'm so sorry.
I thought for sure
you'd have seen the article.
About First Path?
What?
No, what's First Path?
Here, listen. This is on the front page,
by the way.
Headline, "Genius at work."
And then a big honking
picture of Jacob!
-Michael, Michael, wake up!
-What, what, what?
-We're on the front page!
-What, what?
-Go ahead, Val.
-Okay, here we go.
"Jacob Barnett
has memorized pi to 200 digits.
"He taught himself algebra,
[over phone]
"geometry, trigonometry,
"and calculus in two weeks.
He's 12."
-Yes! That's our boy!
-[laughs] Yes!
And what does it say
about Jacob's Place?
Um
Okay, let me see. Let me see.
[gasps] Here we go,
[over phone] "His mom even
named her daycare after him."
Okay, not bad.
So much for enrollment numbers.
-Oh, come on.
-[Valika] No, no way.
Jake's the best PR
you could get.
After this, people are
gonna be lining up
for your advice, I swear.
Yeah, yeah. Okay, alright.
-Thanks, Val. I'll call you back.
-[Valika] Bye.
-[hangs up]
-I am proud of you. Come on.
-You're in the paper there, you are.
-[shrieking]
What's going on?
Your brother's in
the paper, bud.
You wanna run down and get it?
Cool.
[knocking]
-Got some great news, bud.
-[Jacob] Uh, what?
[Ethan] [screaming]
Ow!
-Mom, Mom!
-Ethan!
-[tense music playing]
-[Ethan] Mom!
-What is it, what?
-[Ethan] Ow, Mom.
Oh, what in the--
-[Ethan] [crying] Mom, Mom.
-What did she do?
-Who? What? [whimpering]
-Nothing. Never mind.
-Okay, let's just--
-[Michael] What's going on here?
No, no, no, no, no. Don't come out here
with bare feet.
-[Michael] Okay, hold on.
-Natalia put tacks.
Wait, what?
Why do you think she did it?
How would she even
have done this?
Because she's the one
with the cork board in her room.
Go ask her.
[sobbing]
Why would she do that!
-Okay. Alright.
-Okay.
You two go get dressed
for school, please.
-Okay. Okay.
-Ow! Ow.
Look at me, don't look down.
Ready? One, two, three.
[Ethan] [screams]
Ow!
-[Almeda] Knock-knock.
-Okay.
-Hello.
-Okay, Mom, did we have a date?
Uh, No.
I just brought some kringle
to celebrate Jake's making
the big time.
-What's happening here?
-Ethan stepped on a tack.
That Natalia put there.
-[Almeda laughing]
-What about that is funny, Mom?
Well, Ethan was
always a bit soft.
Maybe God saw a chance
to give him some calluses.
-Mom.
-Well, [sighs] she said she didn't do it.
Go get dressed.
Of course, she says
she didn't do it.
Even if she did, who cares?
It's just a goofy kid prank.
For Pete's sake, Mike,
will you stop being
so defensive?
How are we supposed
to help her if you don't
admit there's an issue?
She's troubled.
-[Almeda] Michael is right.
-Wh-- I am? What?
Now, that should
be in the paper.
It's no big whoop.
She's just a kid.
You're blowing the thing up
all out of proportion
like you always do.
You see problems that
don't exist.
I see problems that you
refuse to admit exist.
Could you please calm down
and find me something
to cut this with?
[Michael]
Who invited the mother?
[soft ominous music playing]
[gasps]
What-- What's going on?
What is it?
♪♪
-What?
-[drawer slams shut]
Natalia?
[tense, dramatic
music playing]
[items clattering]
♪♪
Natalia!
Natalia!
[knife clacks on counter]
Have you seen Natalia?
-She's not in her room?
-No.
[door closes]
[Almeda] Will you relax?
She's just a little girl.
[screams]
Close the door!
[unsettling music playing]
Michael?
What? Wh-What happened?
She has hair.
Wait, what? What hair?
[Kristine]
Down there!
I don't think she's
a little girl.
[Almeda]
Who wants kringle?
["Basket Case" by
Green Day playing]
Do you have the time
to listen to me whine ♪
About nothing and everything
all at once? ♪
I am one of those
melodramatic fools ♪
Neurotic to the bone,
no doubt about it ♪
Sometimes I give myself
the creeps ♪
Sometimes my mind
plays tricks on me ♪
It all keeps adding up,
I think I'm cracking up ♪
[song fades out]
[fanfare playing]
So you see, I may have
written a book on parenting,
but I don't have it
all figured out.
Kristine Barnett, you're under arrest
for child neglect,
the abandonment of a dependent
and conspiracy to commit neglect.
You have the right
to remain silent.
[Kristine Barnett]
Do you know who I am?
-[crowd gasping]
-Do you know how many children I saved?
[Michael Barnett] Previously,
on Good American Family
[Sandy Mosley] [on phone] This is
First Path Adoptions in Myrtle Beach.
We have a little girl here
who I think you will love.
This is Natalia.
Hi.
Are you gonna be
my mommy and daddy?
We usually just add the
past medical expenses
onto the other fees,
if that works for you.
We have to pay for
her surgeries?
We maxed out our credit card
just to get down here.
-[tense music playing]
-[Natalia Grace] I hate baths.
How about you can stand in the tub
and I can wash your--
-I said no!
-[grunts]
Mommy, I'm so sorry.
Mommy, I'm so sorry.
-Mommy, I'm sorry.
-[groans]
[Michael]
I get the tantrum
Now, now, now! I wanna go
to the beach now!
[clatters]
[Michael] the whole running thing,
I mean, what was that?
Well, she's a kid,
she didn't just
go out and buy a walker.
Did you give her Pop-Tarts
after she didn't eat her dinner?
It's not a big deal.
Wasn't a big deal then
why didn't you mention it?
-We're supposed to be on the same team.
-Don't do that.
We are on the same team.
[eerie music playing]
Hi sweet pea.
Do you wanna get in and cuddle?
No. Not time yet.
[music intensifies]
[Michael] He first came to see me
in the fall of 2019,
and when he showed up,
I'm not gonna lie,
I was a little nervous.
My wife and kids are inside,
so it'll be quieter out here.
-Is this okay?
-Perfect.
Okay.
-Mind if I
-Oh, so, uh, we're doing that?
Uh, it won't bite.
I mean, yeah, I-- I guess it's, uh
it's fine.
[door closes]
I thought you guys might
like some pop.
Uh, Detective Drysdale,
this is my-- my wife Jennifer.
-This is, uh, Wyatt.
-Thank you.
-Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Barnett.
-Likewise.
So, I'll leave you to it?
Yeah.
-Love you.
-[Jennifer Barnett] Yeah.
[back door opens, closes]
-She seems nice.
-The best.
How long you two been married?
A couple years,
but you know, we're still, uh,
full-on honeymoon phase.
You know, she's, um
she's a complete opposite
-of my first, so
-Right.
Word is, it was a mean divorce.
Yeah, that's what I thought
this might be.
Um, listen, man, I--
Those things that Kristine says
about me that-- [stammers]
don't believe it, okay?
It's not true.
She's-- she's a liar.
No, man. Listen, believe me,
you seem like a good guy.
And I've heard plenty
about how rough your ex is.
-[chuckles]
-That's why I'm here,
to get it from the
horse himself.
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
Okay, I mean, if that's the case,
then, uh, um
"neigh," I guess?
[both laughing]
Now, I gather that your
boys are with her.
-Uh-huh.
-And you have a daughter too.
-Natalia, right?
-Mm-hmm.
She with your ex as well?
No, God no.
I mean,
[scoffs] they don't even speak.
I mean, you put those
two together,
it's like
[mimics explosions]
fricking World War Three,
man.
[exhales sharply] Huh.
So, how did things between your ex
and Natalia turn ugly?
-[tense, curious music playing]
-[exhales sharply]
I don't even know
where to start.
-The beginning's always good.
-Okay.
To start at the beginning,
uh, Kristine is-- is insane.
And she's also the--
basically, the devil.
But she's the worst
kind of devil, you know,
because she thinks
she's God's gift
[over recording]
to the whole dang world.
[Detective Drysdale] [on recording]
How do you mean?
[Michael] Do you know
what a savior complex is?
[Detective Drysdale] Sure.
[Michael] Yeah, well,
that's, that's Kristine.
You know, she takes credit
for all of Jacob's success.
She does that with
all the kids she works with.
That's why we adopted
Natalia in the first place
-What is this?
-[Michael] so she could save her.
-When did you do this?
-[Michael] When that didn't work out,
that's when the proverbial
crap hit the fan.
[tape player clicks,
recording stops]
Mr. Barnett and I
spoke last week.
That's why we could
arrest you today.
Well, let me tell you something.
Don't believe anything
that man says.
I swear to God,
he's the real devil here.
[dramatic music plays]
[curious theme music playing]
[flag flapping in breeze]
♪♪
[bridge cracking]
[engine humming]
[TV static buzzing]
[paper cutting]
[theme music fades out]
[rain pattering outside]
[Kristine softly gasping]
[soft ominous music playing]
[exhales deeply]
[Kristine]
This was 2010,
almost two weeks
after we brought Natalia home.
[soft ominous music continues]
[whispers] Natalia.
Natalia.
[Natalia]
What are you doing, Mommy?
I thought I heard you
come in our room just now.
Just wanna check
and make sure you're okay.
Did you? Just come in our room?
[Natalia]
I don't think so.
Nighttime isn't for wandering,
sweet pea.
It's for sleeping.
That's what I had been doing.
Can I hold Hercules
for a minute?
Why?
Just wanna give her a checkup,
like at the doctor.
We hate doctors.
Okay, not the doctor then.
Just
Mom, Mom, stop.
-Natalia, just--
-Mom, no.
-Mommy! No.
-Natalia.
-Stop it! No, no!
-Shh!
Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hey, hey, hey.
-No, stop it!
-What's going on? What's going on?
Daddy, please.
Tell Mommy not to take Hercules.
I wasn't out of bed,
I promise. Please.
Don't worry, baby. Why would Mommy want
to take Hercules?
It was a misunderstanding.
I just wanted to make sure
that Hercules had enough hugs.
So, you do, uh
Let's check.
[light, tense music playing]
Um, okay.
-[sighs] So, honey--
-No.
It's okay, sweetheart.
Just-- just real quick.
Everything's gonna be fine.
Mommy's just gonna--
And you didn't just
come in our room?
Is Mommy okay?
Y-Yes. Y--
She's just tired.
She's just tired.
You know what,
we have a big day tomorrow.
Mommy always puts ice cream
in our cereal
on the first day of school.
Will you tuck me
in again, Daddy?
Of course I will, sweetie.
Of course I will.
-Here's your Hercules, honey.
-Thank you, Daddy.
-[Michael] There you go. Okay.
-[Natalia whimpers]
[sighs]
You're welcome, sweetie pie.
[tense music playing]
[sighs]
Kris, what the--
what the heck's going on?
She came in our room earlier,
and it looked like
she had a knife.
But they're all here,
so I guess I must be crazy.
[music softens]
-[drawer banging]
-Dang it!
[sighs]
Oh, baby, I'm sorry. You okay?
-Hey, let me see, let me see.
-[Kristine groans]
Hey, look, you're just--
Honey, you're just tired.
You-- you're stressed,
and you had a bad dream.
-Come on, let's go to bed. Come on.
-No, it wasn't a bad dream.
I know what that feels like.
This wasn't that.
Hey, what's going on, huh?
Come on.
-[exhales sharply]
-Talk to me.
I thought I saw something,
and then no, it w-- it wasn't.
Don't go there.
I know what you're doing.
Stress dreams feel really real.
That's all this was, okay?
You are not your dad.
You're not.
Okay, so say it was
a stress dream.
That's almost worse.
I'm not myself with her.
I get frustrated so easy.
We're not connecting.
And Michael, how am I
supposed to be her mother
if I can't talk to her?
Do you hear yourself right now?
Do you remember this
conversation
that we had about
another one of our kids?
And look what you did there.
That kid's being recruited
by Princeton.
-Jake is special.
-So are you.
Heck, you're gonna
be in the papers
because of what you can do.
This is a tough nut.
Natalia is a tough nut to crack.
But you will.
You are Kristine Barnett.
-Maybe I've lost my touch.
-Bulldink, okay?
You've been doing this
for 15 years, honey.
Nobody cares for kids
like you do.
Nobody understands them better.
That's all Natalia is,
she's just another kid.
Another kid who needs you,
honey.
You're exhausted.
You've been taking
care of all of us.
Honey, you've been taking
care of me.
And that's my fault, okay?
I got-- I got knocked out flat
by the Blanca thing.
I did, okay? But I--
Hey. Hey. I'm back.
I'm back, baby.
And I wanna take care
of you, okay?
What if you let me--
what if you let me
take care of you
for a little bit, huh?
What if we made this my turn?
Would that be nice?
Hmm, there she is.
There's my girl.
-Mm.
-[kissing]
Yeah. It could be nice.
I need my cow!
I know, baby.
But if we can't find her,
we're gonna have to come up
with another option.
-No!
-What about we talk about something?
What about our trip to Omaha?
I mean, it is called
Show and Tell, right?
No one does "Tell," Mom.
Well, maybe it needs
a rebranding then.
I wanna bring Bessie Cow, Mom.
When's the ice cream?
It's your sister's first
day, not yours.
So, when she comes down.
Right, then I'm gonna
go get her.
[Michael] Morning, zoo crew.
Hey, am I in the paper?
Not yet, hot stuff.
[Ethan Barnett]
Mom! Bessie?!
Did you check the laundry room?
No.
Pulled out a suit for you.
Yeah, I saw that.
I'm not sure why.
It's just a meet-and-greet.
-Hey, who's driving me?
-Me.
We're gonna get your sister
set up at school
and then run over to Jacob's place
for my session,
and then head out to IUPUI
for your interview with
[emphatically]
Princeton.
-It's a meet-and-greet.
-With
[Michael and Kristine]
Princeton!
You guys are just
embarrassing yourselves.
-Enough.
-[Wesley Barnett] Natalia won't come out.
She says she's too tired because Mom
woke her up in the middle of the night.
[Ethan] Mommy!
Bessie Cow's not in here either.
It's okay.
Hey, you stay on cow patrol.
I'll go check on Natalia, okay?
-[knocking]
-Knock, knock, rise and shine.
[Natalia]
Come in.
Ta-da.
Are those Ethan's?
I didn't like what
Mommy picked.
Well, she just wants
you to look nice
for your first day photos,
honey.
That dress is for a 5-year-old.
Did you at least ask Ethan
before you took his clothes?
[Natalia]
I just
I don't want everyone
to think I'm a dumb baby.
[scoffs] Honey, no one's gonna
think that, okay?
Look, when I-- when
I first met you,
I thought you were at least 45.
-May-- maybe 50 even.
-[chuckles]
I wish you were taking me,
Daddy.
Me too, kiddo.
But I got the boss' bosses
coming into the store tomorrow,
you know?
-So, I gotta get it all ready for them.
-[groaning]
I know. But
do you know what I do
when I have something
really scary at work like this?
[whispering]
I jump the jitters out.
[softly] What?
[babbling wildly]
-You do that at work?
-Yes, it helps get me outta my head.
[singing] Jump the jitters, whoa, jump,
jump the jitters out ♪
I jump the jitters, jump,
jump the jitters out ♪
-Try it, here you go.
-[Natalia giggling]
Jump the jitters, jump,
jump the jitters out ♪
-Jump, jump the jitters out ♪
-[laughing]
Jump the jitters,
jump, jump the jitters out ♪
Watch out, here comes the worm.
-Here it comes.
-No!
Whoa, whoa.
-[light, tense music playing]
-[Natalia giggling]
Natalia.
What happened here?
Where's the head?
I was just playing with it.
You were--
You know, Ethan's been
looking all over for this.
Please, please don't tell Mommy
I broke it.
-Please don't tell. Please--
-[Kristine] Mike, we gotta motor.
Can you get
Natalia's registration folder?
-Yeah, we'll be right down, honey.
-Daddy, no. Daddy, please.
Daddy, please, Daddy, please don't tell
Mommy I broke it.
Please don't tell Mommy.
Please don't.
-Please don't.
-Hey, hey, hold on.
-Please don't tell, please.
-Hey, look. You're okay.
Take a breath.
You're okay.
Look at me.
[sighs]
I shouldn't do this,
but I promise I won't tell.
But you have to work
on being brave enough
to tell Mommy yourself, okay?
Young child with dreams ♪
["Shilo" by
Neil Diamond playing]
Dreaming each dream
on your own ♪
What took you slowpokes so long?
-And what happened to her dress?
-Game time switcheroo, Mom.
-Alright.
-Well, hop in,
or we're not gonna get there
in time to take a picture.
-Oh, my goodness, so much
-[overlapping chatter]
Seems like you end up alone ♪
[Michael]
Buckles! Alright
Papa says he'd love
to be with you ♪
You guys have the best day ever!
-[kids] Bye, Dad!
-Alright, bye.
-I need that folder.
-Oh, folder, yes.
So you turn to the only
friend you can find ♪
Okay, that's gonna
cost you a kiss.
-There in your mind ♪
-Bye, guys.
Shilo, when I was young ♪
-I used to call your name ♪
-[Kristine] Smile, Natalia.
[Wesley]
Show the pearly whites.
When no one else would come ♪
Shiloh, you always came,
and we played ♪
[indistinct chatter]
Young girl with fire ♪
[Kristine] As soon as we saw
the photo, we fell in love.
We flew right down.
It was an emergency situation--
a child in need--
we had to act.
But in this kind of adoption,
all personal information
is strictly confidential.
-It's called redacted.
-Mm-hmm.
Well, maybe. [stammering]
I just-- I'm not seeing much
that I can go on here.
I mean, this one's not
even in English.
That's her birth certificate.
Yeah, it just kind of
looks fake to me.
Oh, because it's a photocopy.
Okay, um, do you have
her school records?
It's withheld too,
because it's all confidential.
So, where am I supposed
to put her?
Does this mean I don't have
to go to school?
No, sweet pea. We're gonna get it
straightened out.
[Dr. Wachter] Alright, so we're gonna
leave the swords at home next time,
foam or otherwise?
Alright, buddy, back to class.
Dr. Wachter, Kristine Barnett.
Wes and Ethan are in
third and first grade.
Of course. Such great kids.
So, we've just adopted
Natalia here.
-Trying to get her enrolled.
-Without any paperwork.
-What grade are you, sweetheart?
-A-plus.
-[laughing] I bet.
-[Kristine] She's seven.
But we don't have records
from her previous school.
-It was a closed adoption.
-No problem, I've dealt with that before.
We can, uh, put her in first
until we can do some testing.
Do you have her vax records?
-Uh, everything is here.
-Ah, thank you. [chuckles]
Ah, you adopted her
in New Jersey?
No, South Carolina. Why?
The fax number here. My mother-in-law's
from Montclair.
I, uh, block every call
with a 201 area code.
[Dr. Wachter chuckling]
Hmm.
Why'd they redact
the dates of the shots?
That-- that I've never seen.
Oh, just being thorough,
I guess.
Privacy?
[tense, curious music playing]
Natalia, do you remember
when the last time you had
some shots was, sweetheart?
-I don't like shots.
-Who does?
Well, is it okay for her to start?
It's getting late.
Well, I'm not sure
these will fly long-term,
but the state gives us a 20-day
grace period on vaccinations.
So, if you can get us the full list
over the next few weeks,
-we'll be cruising.
-Great.
So, you want Mommy
to walk us to class?
-Let's go.
-No, thank you, I'm a big girl.
-I can just go with you.
-[Dr. Wachter] Mm.
-Okay, well, look at you.
-[Natalia giggling]
[Michael] So, we gotta get
in their heads, you know?
If I'm corporate, one thing
I am definitely checking
is that our top selling SKUs
are well stocked on
the floor, right?
So, right away, on the way back,
I noticed we're a little low
on the LG-65-LED-80-HNA
and the SAM-70-LCD-72-FHA.
Every dang time. It's scary.
You know, we don't
speak SKU, Mike.
You've got that in English?
Sorry, humans. Translating.
[imitating a robot]
The LG 65-inch and the Sam 70.
Oh.
[imitating robot] Oh, copy you.
For real though, man, shit like that's
why you're getting a promotion.
You're gonna jinx me.
Where-- Now, where's the wood?
Where's the wood? Ah!
["Don't Cha" by The Pussycat Dolls
ringtone playing]
-Oh, God.
-Wow.
-Mike.
-So, so embarrassing.
Kristine made this her ringtone
a while back, I forgot to change it.
I hear that's how he won her heart,
by knowing the SKU
to the Samsung 60-inch.
I'm never gonna
live this down, am I?
Hey babe, how'd it go at school?
[Kristine] [on phone]
Not great.
They almost
didn't let her enroll.
What? Why?
[Kristine] Because all her vax records
were redacted.
Dr. Wachter said he's never
even seen that before.
Okay, but they let
her in, right?
[Kristine] For now.
But also, Mike, all the records
were faxed from New Jersey.
Don't you think that's weird?
Uh, I don't know.
Why is that weird?
[Kristine] Because we adopted
her from South Carolina.
-So?
-So, why would a family from New Jersey
go to South Carolina to
put a kid up for adoption?
Uh, I don't know.
Why would a family from Indiana
adopt a kid from South Carolina?
Well, because that's where the kid was,
Mike, it's different.
[Michael] [on phone]
Why is this bothering you?
I-It's gonna be fine.
They let her in, right?
[Kristine]
For now.
We have to get
the actual vax records though.
Okay, so you'll call
First Path, right?
Yeah, yeah. Fine.
I'll handle it.
I gotta go.
Wait till you see what
I got you at the junk store
this time, Shawny.
-[indistinct chatter]
-[Shawn giggles]
Okay, sweetie, I have to run,
but I'll get that screwdriver
and we'll open up the rest of it
another time, okay?
-Okay.
-Okay.
[indistinct chatter]
Shawny did great today.
Oh, well, this is her nirvana.
[chuckles]
Oh, hey.
They called me for a quote
-about the Jake's Place article.
-Oh!
I told them that you're
Indiana's own miracle worker.
[laughing]
Cute, right?
I just wish it would
come out already.
I want people to see
what we're doing here.
I know, I totally get it.
I mean, that's exactly
how I feel
whenever I have a listing
that's ripe for a bidding war,
it's torture.
Trust me, this place
is gonna be huge.
You're gonna have more
enrollments than you know what to do with.
[Kristine]
Mm
-From your lips.
-[Valika chuckles]
Alright, enough belly gazing.
Gotta skedaddle.
Today is Jake's Princeton
interview.
[gasps] How exciting.
Good luck.
Go get 'em.
-[phone chimes]
-Call First Path Adoptions, Myrtle Beach.
[line ringing]
Wheels up in 10, bud.
[line ringing]
-[disconnected tone rings]
-[automated voice] We're sorry.
You have reached a number
that has been disconnected
or is no longer in service.
[hangs up]
[keyboard clacking]
"First Path Adoptions."
[tense, curious music playing]
[Kristine gasps]
[Jacob Barnett]
You okay, Mom?
Yeah, bud. Peachy.
Get packing up though,
we gotta scoot.
♪♪
[Sandy] [on voicemail]
Hi, it's Sandy.
You know the drill.
-[phone beeps]
-Hi, Sandy. Kristine Barnett here.
You helped us adopt
Natalia Grace.
It's all going great.
Except today, when we went
to enroll her in school,
we were missing some
key paperwork.
So, call me back, would you?
Also, what in the blue blazes
is up with First Path?
Did they close?
[hangs up]
Okay.
Princeton, here we come.
I'm primarily focused
on particle physics,
but right now I'm
also taking a class
in philosophy and physics.
The direct nature of time,
probability of
statistical mechanics,
-that sort of thing.
-I was a French major,
so you'll have
to give me a little more
-[in French] Contexte?
-S'il te plaît.
He speaks Arabic too.
Cool, so basically-- well, one thing we
like to talk about
is how humans perceive
something like this.
-What do you think this is?
-Well, I know what that is. It's a pen.
Good guess.
But you're ignoring the millions
of molecules that go into this.
You're simplifying to see
what you need out of a pen
instead of what it actually is.
It's what we do as humans.
You know, we assign
meaning to objects.
It's efficient, but
that doesn't mean
it's the actual truth
of the object.
So, you're telling me
that's not a pen?
So then, what about me? Am I me?
You're definitely you.
You just may not be
who you think you are.
Whoa.
See, now that is très French.
[all laughing]
-[phone ringing]
-[gasps] Oh.
Real quick.
Hello.
Hi, Sandy.
Thanks for returning my call.
[Sandy] [on phone] Listen,
your daughter is gonna be just fine.
'Kay? She's, she's one
of the lucky ones.
Just--
Best to leave it at that.
Wait, what?
What do you mean?
[Sandy] If you just stop
asking questions,
you probably won't
be implicated.
I-- I'm sorry?
Implicated for what?
-What are you talking about?
-[Sandy] That's all I can say.
Don't call me again.
[call ends]
-Looks nice, right?
-Yeah, it's beautiful.
Sorry about that. Work stuff.
Oh, no worries. We were just talking
about housing.
So, since Jacob would be
transferring in as a sophomore,
-he would be assigned residential--
-Jake is 12.
-He can't live on his own.
-[phone ringing]
Mom, seriously?
[phone ringing]
This is your brothers' school.
The problem is,
uh, it wasn't just one kid.
She rammed several students
with her walker.
But all the kids are okay.
Well, they're just
shaken up a little bit.
But Mrs. Barnett, I had to leave
Running Club for this.
And I will admit
that I feel a bit betrayed.
Betrayed? How so?
Well, when we agreed
to take Natalia this morning,
you neglected to mention
her severe behavioral issues.
Well, because there
hasn't been any.
-No troubling behavior at home, or?
-No.
Just the usual temper tantrum
or some cranky kid stuff.
And I have to ask you--
well, you may not know,
because you were
at Running Club.
What was going on
before this happened?
Were the kids teasing her?
Are you saying the children
deserved to be hurt?
No, but I find it
hard to believe
that Natalia just
started randomly
ramming her walker
into kids unprovoked.
As I'm sure you're aware,
children with disabilities
are often the victims
of bullying.
Mm-hmm, although from
what I understand,
it was Natalia who was
doing the bullying.
What about her previous family,
her past schools?
Are you aware of issues there?
Well, as we established
this morning,
I don't have her school records.
-I'm working on getting them.
-Okay.
Well [sighs]
perhaps it would be
better if we wait
until we have some more
information on Natalia
for her to come back to school.
You're suspending her
on her first day?
Do you know how destabilizing
that'll be for her
while she's in the middle
of this massive transition?
I'm sorry, but I'm an advocate
for kids in need.
And if Natalia is having
behavioral issues, this is why.
Because of all that's
been done to her.
If it's helpful to you,
I'd be happy to come in
and have a workshop
for your faculty
on working with kids
with disabilities.
[Dr. Wachter]
Thank you, that's so kind.
But, uh, you know,
we don't have to consider this
a, a suspension, per se.
This is an opportunity for us
to get some more information
and reassess.
It might just be that we have her
in the wrong grade.
[Natalia humming]
[Kristine] Can we talk about what happened
at school today, sweet pea?
[Natalia continues humming]
I know you would never hurt
anybody on purpose, Natalia.
A kid must have done
something to you.
[continues humming]
Did someone do something?
[Natalia continues humming]
I'm trying to talk
to you, sweetie.
[stops humming]
I should've worn something else.
Did someone say something mean?
[Natalia's foot tapping]
You know, you can
tell me anything.
[tapping continues]
And that goes for whatever--
stuff now, or stuff
that happened
before you came to us
with your other family.
Where was that, anyway?
Were you in South Carolina,
or did you maybe take a trip
from New Jersey?
I thought you weren't allowed
to ask questions
because it's closed.
We're family.
I'm allowed to ask you anything,
and you're allowed to tell me.
Okay? Anything you want.
I don't remember.
[lock clacking]
Natalia, stop that.
It's dangerous.
Were you happy with
your other family?
Did something happen there
that made you sad?
I was just sad to leave them.
[wind blowing, traffic rushing]
Natalia!
-[tires screeching]
-[horn honking]
[car horns honking]
[tires screeching]
[traffic rushing by]
[soft tense music playing]
Natalia Grace!
Don't you ever do that again!
Do you know how dangerous
that was?!
[Natalia humming]
[humming echoes]
[curious music playing]
[pop-up chimes]
[crunches]
[Kristine] "First Path
Falsifying Adoptions."
[mouse clicking]
[survivor 1] We had two
beautiful weeks with Miguel
before they told us
there was a custodial issue
and they took him back
[survivor 2] They promised
our baby to two other families.
[survivor 3] We never got
the baby they promised us.
Now, we might lose our house.
[survivor 4] and ever since that
second adoption fell through,
my wife is a wreck.
Cries all the time,
can't get off the sofa.
They destroyed her!
[survivor 5] Then two weeks
before the due date,
they said our birth mother was
shot and killed
[Justine Bowman]
My name is Justine.
-I live outside Indianapolis.
-Oh.
-And First Path ruined my life too.
-Mom, what's up?
Tough crossword tonight.
-[typing]
-Sorry for the Rando DM.
I adopted a child from
First Path too.
I live near you and
was wondering
What's up, fam jam?
Hi.
How's everybody doing?
-Mm!
-Mwah! Mm.
-How was Princeton?
-[laughs]
Kid's a shoe-in.
And Natalia? Everything
go smoothly
once you got her settled?
She did great.
Awesome. She sleeping?
Yeah, they went down
about an hour ago.
Just us chickens now.
I might just go take
a little peek in on her.
-[Kristine] Okay.
-Oh, so, uh, Jenn
had a little shower at work,
and she refused the leftovers.
[tapping]
Guys, red velvet.
-Oh.
-Just sayin'.
-Don't stay up too late.
-[Kristine] Ooh. Okay.
Maniacs.
Red velvet. Oh.
-No.
-Oh.
Looks like someone murdered it.
[scoffs]
Not even Wes would eat that.
Have a cookie.
So, how come you didn't tell Dad
that Natalia got
kicked out of school?
[crunches]
Did you see how happy
your dad was just now?
I just believe he deserves
to stay that way.
What about you though?
You don't seem happy.
What makes you say that?
Well, you basically ate
all the cookies yourself.
Now it looks like you're gonna
eat the cake too?
Also, you almost
screwed up my interview
after trying to make me
wear a suit to it.
Sorry
that I had to keep
running out like that.
I just
It's okay. I actually had fun.
I hope I get in, don't you?
You deserve to be happy too.
I'm just not sure I'm ready
to give you up to dorm life yet.
I'm going in.
Oh, gosh.
[notification chirps]
[Justine]
Hi there.
Happy to tell you about
my experience with First Path.
The headline is,
because of those criminals,
I had to give my daughter back.
[light, tense music playing]
[Kristine] [typing]
I'm so sorry. What happened?
-[notification chirps]
-[Justine] I'll tell you, but not online.
I'm not at liberty
to speak freely.
[Michael] I just feel like
she's the missing puzzle piece
in our family, you know?
Just, just fits right in.
[sighs]
Do you remember when
Wes used to sleep sideways?
Like with his head
on our bellies like this?
Natalia does the same
thing with me.
It is so cute, it kills me.
Uh, can you take her
to work with you tomorrow?
Doesn't she have school?
Well, turns out they need
the full vax chart
before she can go back,
so it's just a,
a red tape thing.
Well, that sucks.
Did you call First Path?
Are they gonna send it?
Yeah, yeah, it'll be fine.
I just-- I have a lot
of students tomorrow,
so I can't take her.
Oh, uh, tomorrow's
tough for me too.
I have corporate coming,
so I don't--
I could bring her to my mom's.
Uh, you know, no.
Uh, I will get one of the guys
at work to watch her,
and we'll just say it's
Take Your Daughter to Work Day.
-It'll be fun.
-Perfect.
-[Michael] There she is.
-[Natalia giggling]
Hi. Daddy, it's me.
-[Michael] It's you!
-[giggles]
Well, there's-- there's
a lot of yous.
There's one, two, three, four
I can't even count that much.
-I love it. So many Natalias!
-[giggling]
There's one. That's my favorite
one right there.
-I like this one.
-Wait, what about her?
Wow, Mike, you didn't
tell me Taylor Swift
was coming into the store today.
Can I get a picture?
Snap, snap, snap, snap.
So, Natalia, this is
my friend Jenn.
-Hi.
-And you are gonna hang out with her
while I go meet with
my bosses, cool?
Can't I just stay
with you, Daddy?
Oh, I get it.
Your dad's the coolest.
Do you want to hear a secret?
[whispers]
I've got a baby in here.
That's kind of obvious.
[laughing]
Well, that's not the secret.
Have you ever heard of cravings?
Mm-mm.
Cravings mean I'm always
hungry for sweet treats.
So, why don't we let your dad
go get his big fancy promotion,
and you and me,
we can go pig out.
How do donuts sound?
Donuts sound like,
"Eat me, eat me now."
[all laughing]
That is an incredible
impression.
We should probably find out what cocoa
sounds like too, right?
-Yeah.
-[Natalia and Jennifer] Yeah.
-Bye, Daddy.
-Have fun, sweetie.
Daddy's gonna miss you.
We really thought we had found
our daughter, but then
Okay, the story they gave us
was that her mom died
and her dad and stepmom
neglected her.
It was like Cinderella,
only I got to be the
fairy godmother.
And how'd you find out
that wasn't true?
[Justine]
Molly started to learn English.
She started saying stuff like,
"You're not my mom."
Like, "I miss my real mom."
In general, she was harder on me
than she was on Dale,
my husband.
Her mom died when she
was so young we thought.
But her English got better,
her stories got more specific,
like details about
her mom's cooking.
And one day, her mom told her
she got picked to go
to boarding school.
But instead of taking her to school,
they took her to us.
Do you think First Path
was doing this a lot?
[Justine]
Not always this.
Sometimes they'd make
fake birth certificates
or health records.
Anything to make kids
more appealing
to adopted families.
It's pure evil.
We're part of a
class action suit,
that's why I couldn't
talk to you online.
So, you think your daughter
might be
Maybe.
I don't know.
You should get a lawyer.
[light, tense music playing]
We gave all our savings
to First Path.
Well, reputable agencies
hate places like First Path.
Did you ever work with
another agency?
They might be able to help you.
You're okay.
[indistinct PA announcement]
You're okay.
[exhales sharply]
Jump, jump, jump.
[singing]
Jump the jitters ♪
Jump, jump the jitters out ♪
Jump, jump the jitters ♪
Jump, jump the jitters out ♪
Jump ♪
Hey.
Uh, yeah, come on.
[chuckles] Nice to see ya.
[Kristine]
The whole reason we did this
was to help Natalia,
to save a child.
So, the thought that I would
somehow be complicit
in taking her from her family,
I'd be devastated.
I can only imagine the pain
you must have been in
thinking you might
be losing her.
But, here's what makes me
feel better, Mrs. Barnett.
First, from what I can
see in our database,
Natalia came to the U.S.
through New Hope Christian Services.
They're a good reputable agency.
No history of trafficking.
-Really?
-Mm-hmm.
And second, and this is
good news for your family
and sad news for
I don't know,
the world, I guess.
Um, it would be unusual
in a country like Ukraine
for a child like your daughter
to be trafficked for adoption.
Kids with disabilities
aren't usually targeted.
They aren't considered, um
attractive.
What is more common
is for hospitals
to pressure moms
into giving up these kids
into state orphanages.
And they don't
live happy lives.
And you think that's what
happened with Natalia?
That would be my suspicion.
Okay.
My poor girl.
[Tom] We're called upon
to visit orphans
and widows in their afflictions.
[Kristine]
Amen.
And thank you
for squeezing me in so quick.
Oh, of course.
Anything I can do.
-Actually, there is one more thing.
-[Tom] Hm?
We need to get her
school records
to get her back in class.
Do you see those?
I can print these and I can redact the
personal info.
Or you could just leave it.
We are dying to know
more about our girl.
I wish I could.
You could go get a pop
or go to the bathroom.
Forget to put your
computer to sleep.
[laughing]
You're fun.
Uh, but maybe I just print it
and I, I redact the
secret stuff.
-That works too.
-Mm-hmm.
[Michael] All I've ever wanted
was a family
and a job that I love.
And with my Circuit crew,
I get both.
[both chuckle]
Well, your fam's conversion
and sales per square foot
-are super strong.
-We have a, a going gag.
Any associate that gets their average
up to two for the quarter,
I'll do a back flip
up at the register.
[both chuckling]
I'm not sure that jives
with corporate policy,
but I'd love to see it.
Man, that was not a smart bet
on my part.
I got some strivers on,
uh, this team.
Well, the numbers sure show it.
You know, I'm not sure if you're
finding this at other stores,
but, um, we just cannot
keep the new L--
Um
-The L-- uh
-You okay?
Yes, sorry.
I-- I just remembered,
I forgot to send a PO out
on some Samsungs.
Hey, hey.
Don't sweat the tiny stuff.
Your numbers are really great.
-Okay, yeah.
-Let me tell you
to be increasing in
sales right now
when everyone else
is plummeting,
that's meaningful.
Okay, okay.
Which is why it sucks so hard
to let you know that we're gonna
need to close the store.
[slightly gasps]
I know, I know.
It's a tough thing to hear.
It's a tough thing to say too,
though I, uh, have the routine
down these days, so
Here's what happens next.
Hold off on telling your team
until HR reaches out.
Then, you're gonna
do a fire sale,
try to liquidate.
What?
Do you have the time
to listen to me whine ♪
About nothing and everything
all at once? ♪
["Basket Case" by Green Day
playing on stereo]
-I am one of those ♪
-Do you mind the music?
This is Daddy's mad music,
so it's gonna get a little loud, okay?
-I-I don't mind.
-You sure it's okay?
Neurotic to the bone,
no doubt about it ♪
Thank you.
[raises volume]
Sometimes I give myself
the creeps ♪
It's gonna be okay 'cause I'm gonna
get another job.
Sometimes my mind
plays tricks on me ♪
[laughing] It's gonna be okay.
I'll get another job.
It all keeps adding up,
I think I'm cracking up ♪
Am I just paranoid
or am I just stoned? ♪
-I went to a shrink ♪
-[lowers volume]
Hey sweetheart, um,
is it okay if we don't tell
mommy what happened?
'Cause I just need to, um
It needs to be
the right moment, okay?
I-I'll wait till you're
brave enough
to tell her yourself.
Thank you. I'm gonna
turn the music up again, okay?
Okay.
I'm gonna get a little loud,
is that okay?
-Okay.
-[raises volume]
Sometimes I give myself
the creeps ♪
-Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me ♪
-[screaming]
-Alright, sweetie, here we go.
-[Natalia moans]
-Hi.
-[Michael sighs]
-How was your day?
-Why are you in my room?
I went shopping.
You went shopping?
With-- with what money?
I was excited. I got all the paperwork
sorted out,
so we're ready to go
back to school.
And I thought these
would be perfect
for Natalia's second first day.
I don't wanna go to school.
I know the first day
was hard, honey.
But we can start all over.
We can even retake
your pictures.
-I don't wanna go to school!
-[board clatters]
I wanna go to work with Daddy!
It's okay. It's okay.
[light, tense music playing]
Sweetie, I'm sure you
were very helpful.
Daddy's been at that
job a long time.
He knows how to get by.
But, now he has an
even busier job.
-He got a big fancy promotion.
-[Kristine] Oh, wow.
Guess I should have shopped
even harder then, huh?
-[chuckles]
-Congrats, babe.
Eh, you know.
It's-- It's not--
not a big thing.
-[phone ringing]
-[birds chirping]
[ringing continues]
Hey, Val, you okay?
[Valika] [on phone]
Oh, no, did I wake you?
I'm so sorry.
I thought for sure
you'd have seen the article.
About First Path?
What?
No, what's First Path?
Here, listen. This is on the front page,
by the way.
Headline, "Genius at work."
And then a big honking
picture of Jacob!
-Michael, Michael, wake up!
-What, what, what?
-We're on the front page!
-What, what?
-Go ahead, Val.
-Okay, here we go.
"Jacob Barnett
has memorized pi to 200 digits.
"He taught himself algebra,
[over phone]
"geometry, trigonometry,
"and calculus in two weeks.
He's 12."
-Yes! That's our boy!
-[laughs] Yes!
And what does it say
about Jacob's Place?
Um
Okay, let me see. Let me see.
[gasps] Here we go,
[over phone] "His mom even
named her daycare after him."
Okay, not bad.
So much for enrollment numbers.
-Oh, come on.
-[Valika] No, no way.
Jake's the best PR
you could get.
After this, people are
gonna be lining up
for your advice, I swear.
Yeah, yeah. Okay, alright.
-Thanks, Val. I'll call you back.
-[Valika] Bye.
-[hangs up]
-I am proud of you. Come on.
-You're in the paper there, you are.
-[shrieking]
What's going on?
Your brother's in
the paper, bud.
You wanna run down and get it?
Cool.
[knocking]
-Got some great news, bud.
-[Jacob] Uh, what?
[Ethan] [screaming]
Ow!
-Mom, Mom!
-Ethan!
-[tense music playing]
-[Ethan] Mom!
-What is it, what?
-[Ethan] Ow, Mom.
Oh, what in the--
-[Ethan] [crying] Mom, Mom.
-What did she do?
-Who? What? [whimpering]
-Nothing. Never mind.
-Okay, let's just--
-[Michael] What's going on here?
No, no, no, no, no. Don't come out here
with bare feet.
-[Michael] Okay, hold on.
-Natalia put tacks.
Wait, what?
Why do you think she did it?
How would she even
have done this?
Because she's the one
with the cork board in her room.
Go ask her.
[sobbing]
Why would she do that!
-Okay. Alright.
-Okay.
You two go get dressed
for school, please.
-Okay. Okay.
-Ow! Ow.
Look at me, don't look down.
Ready? One, two, three.
[Ethan] [screams]
Ow!
-[Almeda] Knock-knock.
-Okay.
-Hello.
-Okay, Mom, did we have a date?
Uh, No.
I just brought some kringle
to celebrate Jake's making
the big time.
-What's happening here?
-Ethan stepped on a tack.
That Natalia put there.
-[Almeda laughing]
-What about that is funny, Mom?
Well, Ethan was
always a bit soft.
Maybe God saw a chance
to give him some calluses.
-Mom.
-Well, [sighs] she said she didn't do it.
Go get dressed.
Of course, she says
she didn't do it.
Even if she did, who cares?
It's just a goofy kid prank.
For Pete's sake, Mike,
will you stop being
so defensive?
How are we supposed
to help her if you don't
admit there's an issue?
She's troubled.
-[Almeda] Michael is right.
-Wh-- I am? What?
Now, that should
be in the paper.
It's no big whoop.
She's just a kid.
You're blowing the thing up
all out of proportion
like you always do.
You see problems that
don't exist.
I see problems that you
refuse to admit exist.
Could you please calm down
and find me something
to cut this with?
[Michael]
Who invited the mother?
[soft ominous music playing]
[gasps]
What-- What's going on?
What is it?
♪♪
-What?
-[drawer slams shut]
Natalia?
[tense, dramatic
music playing]
[items clattering]
♪♪
Natalia!
Natalia!
[knife clacks on counter]
Have you seen Natalia?
-She's not in her room?
-No.
[door closes]
[Almeda] Will you relax?
She's just a little girl.
[screams]
Close the door!
[unsettling music playing]
Michael?
What? Wh-What happened?
She has hair.
Wait, what? What hair?
[Kristine]
Down there!
I don't think she's
a little girl.
[Almeda]
Who wants kringle?
["Basket Case" by
Green Day playing]
Do you have the time
to listen to me whine ♪
About nothing and everything
all at once? ♪
I am one of those
melodramatic fools ♪
Neurotic to the bone,
no doubt about it ♪
Sometimes I give myself
the creeps ♪
Sometimes my mind
plays tricks on me ♪
It all keeps adding up,
I think I'm cracking up ♪
[song fades out]
[fanfare playing]