It’s an inherent cynicism of society that makes most people feel negatively about the victim of some crime or injustice monetizing their story. There’s this nauseatingly hypocritical value attached to suffering. And those who judge victims for getting something out of their tragedies, they see the money as ensuring the erasure of the pain. It’s almost like once you’ve gotten paid for telling your story, your story is seen and heard with far less empathy than it would be otherwise. That’s why it’s so important for shows like The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox to observe the suffering that becomes an indelible part of someone’s life once they go through something as traumatizing as the things that Amanda and Raffaele have been through. At the very least, acquittal is a word. And at best, it’s the physical release of someone from the prison that they didn’t belong in. The 7th episode of The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox does a dauntingly thorough job at being on the same wavelength as Amanda as she tries to get back to normalcy again. And let me tell you, freedom can sometimes be harder to navigate than prison.
Spoiler Alert
How does Amanda get back home from Italy?
At the time when the world waits for the verdict of the court, Amanda’s case is the most popular that Italy has ever seen. So it makes sense that the whole country is up waiting–with or against Amanda and Raffaele–along with their poor families. The TV blasts nothing but the excruciating wait that will end when the court decides to either free Amanda and Raffaele or keep them in prison for the majority of their adult lives. It goes without saying that this is the hardest time Amanda and Raffaele have ever had trying to be patient. Their lives hang in balance. But in the back of their minds, even they know which way the case went this time. Their lawyers and the DNA experts abolished the prosecution’s heap of baloney with simple facts and logic. So it’s not surprising that in the appeal trial, the court finds Amanda and Raffaele innocent on the charges of rape, assault, and murder, the three things that these kids are too sweet to do even at gunpoint. Amanda’s already served the years they pin on her for falsely accusing Patrick Lumumba. And the biggest slap in the prosecution’s face is the fact that the court doesn’t even treat their lame story about the staged break-in as an actual charge. So there’s nothing to say about that. There’s no keeping people quiet in that courtroom. But Amanda doesn’t really register anything other than Raffaele, her friend, her ex-boyfriend, and the guy who stood by her even as he suffered prison for crimes he could never commit. Nothing could actually ever break the bond between two people like Amanda and Raffaele. What they’ve been through ties them together. So it’s great that they wish to keep in touch as well. But the scene waiting for Amanda outside the courtroom is far from what she expected. The court might’ve found her clean. But looking at Amanda, Italy sees a witch they want to burn. It’s hard for her to hear all the name calling and the rabid crowd’s wishes that the Supreme Court will get her. But when she gets back to prison to collect her things, all she’s embraced with are her friends’ happiness at the news of her release. It makes sense that someone as nice as Amanda is loved by all the inmates. When she follows the old custom and passes her freedom onto someone else by kicking her foot on the threshold, she reciprocates that love. She wishes nothing but the best for the wonderful women and the nice guards that she’s come to love. Her departure from the prison is celebrated as the inmates chant “Liberta.” Amanda is free. But freedom is very unique for someone like Amanda. For starters, Giulia, the woman who’s been helping her family in Italy, puts her in a car that’s meant to take her to her mother. But coupled with the unnerving attack from the crowd waiting to pounce on Amanda the moment her car comes out of the prison and her driver’s scary silence, Amanda is scared witless. It doesn’t help that the driver dodges the cars of haters following them and brings her to a strange spot, where another strange man opens her door. To Amanda’s relief, the strange man is on their side. He’s Steve, the ex-FBI guy who’s been keeping Edda safe in Italy. The first time Amanda even breathes is when her mother holds her. The entirety of Italy wants Amanda in prison, or worse. And there are people who are literally hunting for her. So Steve and Edda have secured a safe house for Amanda for the night they have to spend in Italy before they catch their plane to America in the morning. If it wasn’t for Steve and Edda’s cautious preparation, Amanda would’ve probably not been able to get out of Italy alive. Thankfully, she comes back to America safe with Steve’s help. But things don’t necessarily go well.
How does Amanda handle freedom back home?
Imagine the jet lag after 2 sleepless nights and a 15 hour plane ride. But does Amanda get to just go home and clean up? Not likely. Turns out, she’s just as popular in America as she is in Italy. Reporters hound her the moment she gets down from the car. And after somehow going in, and after dreaming about the peace and quiet of her room all day, the last thing Amanda needs is a welcome-back-home party with all her friends and family. But Edda meant well when she planned it for her. And all the people who’ve come are genuinely relieved and happy to see Amanda back home after the hell she’s been through. So she smiles for all their sake. But when all the noise is gone, nothing quite feels the same to Amanda anymore. That’s the thing that no one told her about coming back home after spending 4 years in a foreign prison. Normal has a whole other meaning to someone like Amanda. The laundry room is a futuristic lab, her book cabinet is a whole library, and her fridge is home to endless treats of the world that she’s allowed to eat. What’s even more fun is that she can now go in and out of a room without a guard tailing her. But it’s far from a fairytale. And if it’s that weird for Amanda, imagine how off it must all seem to her family. Deanna, Chris, and Edda don’t recognize this Amanda. The stranger speaking in Italian at the dinner table might look like Amanda, but they are thrown off by all the changes that are evident in her demeanor. It doesn’t help Amanda to be treated like a kid by her family. She wishes she was a kid. But the Italian prison has stolen the dusk of the youth that Amanda was supposed to enjoy. Edda’s concerned, and understandably so. It bothers her to watch her daughter do certain things around the house like she’s in prison. I thought Chris was a good guy. But I guess he’s exhausted his capacity for actually being there for his wife and his stepdaughters. In his defense, it’s been a lot. But that’s what you sign up for when you agree to become a part of a family. Chris is supposed to support them through their difficult time. But now that he’s kind of checked out, he’s become the kind of inconsiderate person who’d reject Edda’s idea to take Amanda to see a therapist. He could also just have been a boomer who didn’t believe in therapy. Who knows. But Edda takes his advice for the time being. And to help Amanda out in her quest to blend back into her life, Edda calls her friend, Madison over. Having Madison around only shows Amanda all the things she’s missed in the four years she’s lost. Myspace isn’t a thing anymore. Amanda knows nothing about Facebook, but Madison’s creating a profile for her. Everyone Amanda knew either finished their education or got married and had babies. She’s just starting to realize all the things that she couldn’t do because she was stuck in prison for the last four years. But being around Madison is actually good for Amanda. It’s a big step for her to decide to go back to school and move in with Madison. She doesn’t want to waste anymore time. And the only way to jumpstart life is to at least try to live the way she would’ve at 24 anyway. But things are not going to be that simple for Amanda. The reporters haven’t gone anywhere. They’ve been desperate enough to look through their trash for a scoop on Amanda. Let alone move out and live on her own, it’s not even safe for Amanda to go out of her house. If you think about it, Amanda is practically under house arrest.
Why does Amanda write a book?
If you know Amanda, you know she’s the kind of girl who’s not going to be scared into staying home for too long. She’s had enough by Halloween. And even though she doesn’t get her Khaleesi costume because she missed Game of Thrones, she’s thrilled to meet Madison to go to a party together. Amanda hasn’t had the headspace to think about a costume. But that doesn’t keep kids she grew up with from looking at her like she’s a freak. It takes her a whole lot of courage to even get inside. But having a conversation with an old friend is just not something Amanda can handle in the state she’s in. She slipped into a room to be alone when Madison wasn’t looking. Amanda is lucky to have Madison. It’s like, she’s the only one who gets that it’s totally normal for Amanda to be weird right now. She’s been in a whole other country’s prison and learned a whole different language for four years. It’s normal that she’s not fitting in right away. It’s also totally normal that now, sometimes Italian comes to Amanda quicker than English does. But she probably should’ve left a note or something. Her family hasn’t been able to reach her. And her mom has all the reasons to freak out. Someone has been sending red envelopes containing letters with explicit details of how he would want to torture Amanda. Edda hasn’t said anything to Amanda yet. But when she shows Amanda the letters when she comes home from the party, Edda doesn’t get the reaction that she expected. Steve’s particularly insensitive with his “you used to be fun” bit. Who says that to someone who’s just back from spending four years in prison? But that’s Amanda’s segue into something she really needs her family to get. She’s not the same Amanda that they used to know. And while she’s lost parts of herself that she didn’t want to, her experiences have helped her grow. She can take care of herself. And a bunch of letters from some jobless freak isn’t going to stop her from living her life. Moving in with Madison proves easy. But there’s something that’s holding Amanda back. The reason she’s so depressed despite being free is because, well, she’s not completely free. Italy’s Supreme Court is still assessing the validity of her acquittal. And however much her mom and her lawyers might reassure her of her chances, it’s understandable that Amanda feels stuck. There comes a point where she gets sick of the narrative still being alive. Even more than the Supreme Court, the story people are telling about her is what’s making her feel that the world still sees a murderer in her. But that’s not the only thing that compels Amanda to write a book about her experience. “Waiting to be Heard” also comes from Amanda’s desperation to get her parents out of the hole they dug themselves in. Fighting a case of this magnitude has cost them every penny. At the Halloween party, Amanda also got to know from Madison that her dad had to remortgage his house and her grandma’s house to pay for her lawyers. Curt and Edda love Amanda more than anything. They’d obviously want to shield their little girl from feeling any guilt over their dreadful condition. But Amanda wants to help. A book will not only get her narrative out there, it will also pay off the fat stack of bills that has piled up on Edda’s table.
Why does Amanda write to Mignini?
It’s practically surreal to think about how many times life has pushed Amanda down just after she’s gotten back up. The book gave her hope. She expected her story to change the way people looked at her. It must’ve felt like people didn’t want to believe her because the story of an innocent girl being framed for murder by the police wasn’t sexy enough. And just when Amanda was about to gear up and face the press for her book release, Carol called with worrisome news. The court in Florence is reviewing Mignini’s theory. The only comforting thing that Carol had to say was that even if the court found her guilty, she wouldn’t be extradited just yet. The case would then go back to the Supreme Court to be reviewed again. And if Amanda was found guilty then, she’d be extradited and put back in prison. I don’t know how Amanda is not a total mess considering how scary things have been for her. Even the possibility of going back to prison being real is hard enough. And now, she has to be absolutely perfect anytime she shows her face in public or speaks to the press. Anything she says or does even now will be taken as evidence in her trial in Italy. Now that’s just terrible timing with her book coming out. But Amanda does everything she needs to do with bated breath. And what do you know? The Florence court sides with Mignini and finds Amanda and Raffaele guilty of the charges. How do you even explain normalcy to Amanda in this state? What can she do but rot in bed while her lawyers fight for her in Italy. But Edda has never given up on her daughter. Her marriage with Chris isn’t necessarily going great. But she’s done listening to men when it comes to her daughter. She’s gone out and found a support group for exonerees so that Amanda can be among people who understand what she’s been through. Amanda is uncomfortable at first. She’s tired of telling her story over and over again. But most importantly, she doesn’t believe that she’s an exoneree. But when the man running the conference comes over and holds her in his arms, she knows she’s found her people. Hearing that someone understands her without her having to explain herself has this immediately healing effect on Amanda. This is exactly what she needed. And getting to know all these people, people who’ve served even longer than she did for crimes they didn’t commit, she learns the significance of truth even more.
Tensions are at their peak when the time comes for the Supreme Court to give their verdict on Amanda and Raffaele’s case. If they’re found guilty, Amanda will be taken away and imprisoned again. The TV’s playing what could be the most terrifying sight for Amanda at the moment. The police are waiting right outside Raffaele’s apartment. They’re there to arrest him if he’s found guilty. The Italian people have made this entirely about their national pride. So what the Supreme Court will basically be choosing between is truth and blind patriotic sentiment. It doesn’t help their case that Meredith’s family believes Mignini. Along with the entirety of Italy and even a large chunk of America, even they wanted to see Amanda and Raffaele behind bars. Amanda knows exactly what the public thinks about her. When she went on the Chris Cuomo show, the host manipulated her into buying this false sense of safety and then attacked her with a whole bunch of derogatory questions. The world wanted to believe that Amanda was a sex freak. And that’s what Chris Cuomo’s show was trying to sell. But thankfully, the Supreme Court’s verdict finds Amanda and Raffaele innocent. This is a big relief for Amanda, Raffaele, and everyone who cares about them. There’s no doubt about that. But it’s not entirely fixed yet.
In The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox episode 7’s ending, there’s something gnawing at Amanda. The court found her innocent. The win was so absolute that the case won’t even go to a lower court. It’s done. All their hard work has played off. But there’s still a lie that the court believes in. While Amanda stays acquitted, the court believes that she was in Via de la Pergola on the night of Meredith’s murder. In the version of events the Italian court presents, Amanda is a witness to the murder. Sure, it makes sense to let it go since she won’t be bothered by the Italian court. But Amanda can’t possibly be okay with the world believing a major lie about her. That’s what defined her to the world. Even the people who believe she’s innocent also want her to suffer because they think she’s a creep. So it makes sense that the only way Amanda can think of to kill this lie is to get to the origin of it. Mignini started this lie. So against what anyone sane would advise her, Amanda wants to write to him. I don’t think Mignini expected a letter from Amanda in his wildest dreams. But this might be the push he needed to introspect and look back at his actions with a fair perspective.
