The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks Ends With Not 1, But 2 Major Twists

It all led up to this: a no-holds-barred confrontation between Natalia Grace and her adoptive father Michael Barnett. After a false start on Monday night, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks delivered in its final two episodes, which saw Natalia and Michael sit down to discuss the alleged abuse she suffered after she was adopted by Michael and his wife Kristine in 2010, when she was six years old. Each entered the conversation with a specific goal in mind — Natalia wanted "a full apology" from Michael and some acknowledgement of his role in her trauma, while Michael sought Natalia's forgiveness, believing it would allow him to put this period of his life behind him and walk away with a clear conscience.

For a while, things weren't looking good for either party. Michael spent the first half of their sitdown painting Kristine, now his ex-wife, as a "monster" who threatened to take away his children if he didn't comply with her abuse of Natalia. When Natalia asked him direct questions about his knowledge of Kristine's violent behavior or the lies he told at his ex-wife's insistence, Michael either pleaded his innocence and shifted the blame entirely to "evil" Kristine, or refused to answer, as he did when Natalia brought up the Barnetts' successful campaign to have her legally re-aged from eight to 22, a subject he insisted was off-limits.

By the end of Episode 5, "Trauma Bond," Natalia was so fed up with Michael's evasiveness that she broke down in tears. "I have had nightmares. I've cried myself to sleep. For years after, and nobody listened," she told Michael. "I lived through it! Every time I talk about it, I live through it."

But in the first of two major surprises in the Natalia Speaks finale, "One Door Closes," Natalia and Michael emerged from their conversation in a better place. Despite a forceful disagreement over Michael's claim that Natalia once stood at the foot of his bed with a knife in her hand — an allegation Natalia vehemently denied — the two found common ground after Michael recalled Kristine's effort to turn their sons against him during their 2014 divorce. His theatrical retelling seemed to unlock something in Natalia, who expressed her regret over "the things that [his sons] have had to go through" as a result of their mother's manipulation.

Michael clearly appreciated the kind words, because when Natalia asked point blank if he's "sorry about what [Kristine] did to her," he offered his most sincere response yet. "I am sorry I wasn't stronger and didn't stop her. I wasn't... I just wasn't," he said, before continuing through sobs, "I'm so sorry."

His expression of remorse — real remorse, not the crocodile tears he shed throughout the original docuseries or the weak half-apologies he offered earlier — proved enough for Natalia. "Michael, I forgive you," she told him. She insisted that he should forgive himself, as well, and then proceeded to pray for her former adoptive father, whom she hoped "can be better than who he is" as a result of their meeting.

It's clear that Michael, who failed to address any specifics relating to his involvement in Natalia's abuse or her re-aging, doesn't deserve Natalia's grace — and if there were any doubt, his smug declaration that "forgiveness wipes it all away," as if his adoptive daughter can just be erased from his life, put the matter to rest, once and for all. (That he immediately hopped into his sports car and blasted music as he drove away doesn't help, either). But Natalia's willingness to forgive him anyway reflects her maturity: She understands that in order to move forward, she must come to terms with the fact that she'll likely never get all the answers she's looking for. "At the end of the day, he apologized," she said in a confessional interview. "Everybody deserves peace in their life."

Natalia and Michael's truce led directly into Natalia Speaks' closing act, in which Natalia was legally adopted by Antwon and Cynthia Mans, who took her in after she was abandoned by the Barnetts. As Natalia spoke proudly about her "big plans" for the future, including changing her age back to 19 and getting her high school diploma, and the importance of writing her own story, all signs were pointing to an uplifting conclusion — until the final minute of the episode, that is.

"Two weeks ago, and six months after Natalia's adoption, the producers got a shocking phone call," read a title card. In audio from the conversation, Antwon and Cynthia explained that "something is not right with Natalia," who has become "the enemy in the house" and "is stabbing her family in the back over a complete lie." Added Antwon, "Natalia does not have emotions for [anything] but herself. We're done. We're done with her."

A subsequent title card revealed that "Natalia's story will continue," though the finale did not reveal in what capacity — whether via a third season of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace or in some other form on Investigation Discovery.

However ID intends to fulfill that promise, the moment represented a jarring turn in a season that otherwise handled Natalia's story with respect. But then again, maybe it was naive to assume the network would wrap up The Curious Case of Natalia Grace without resorting to cheap tricks to keep viewers coming back for more. In that respect, Natalia Speaks' 11th-hour reveal is an expected turn of events, rather than a shocking twist, but that doesn't make it any less disappointing.

Investigation Discovery's The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks is streaming on Discovery+ and Max. Join the discussion about the show in our forums.

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.