There’s a sense of relief at the start of The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox episode 7, but that soon takes a turn. Amanda is out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox season 1, episode 7.
The episode itself opens with a man typing furiously on a typewriter, made at the events of Amanda Knox’s tale. However, before we can find out what’s goingon, we’re taken back to the trial, and the verdict is in.
As we know from history, Amanda and Raffaele were acquitted of murder and the break-in, and The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox episode 6 built up to that. There’s a huge sense of relief, as Amanda rushes through the prison to collect her belongings. Everyone is cheering, happy that she’s been released. However, it’s clear that there’s a much bigger situation to deal with.
Amanda is reunited with her family in The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox episode 7
As Amanda is placed in a car to get out of the prison with press everywhere, she suddenly panics. She has no idea where she’s going or who is driving her, and that man is not telling her anything at all. Suddenly, a man jumps in the car and says that he’s ex-FBI. There’s relief as Amanda’s mom opens the back door, sharing that they’re at the safe house because of how much of a zoo it was around the prison.
Of course, everyone wants to hear Amanda’s story. It doesn’t mean they believe she was innocent, but they want to hear all about it from her words. Nobody wants to give them that, though.
It’s not surprising then to find out that when Amanda gets home, she enters a different type of prison. Press surrounds her home, making it impossible for her to have any sense of life and freedom.
She’s also bombarded by friends and family as they celebrate her return. It’s not what Amanda wants or needs, but she isn’t in a state of mind to turn people away.
Amanda struggles to assimilate back into life
Something that is often not discussed is what it’s like for someone to leave prison. They’re suddenly thrown into normal life, a life that they no longer remember. It may have only been four years for Amanda behind bars, but it was enough to set up routines and act certain ways.
Her mom worries about her, catching her doing things that she did when she was in prison, such as washing her underwear in the sink. She wants to get Amanda some help, but not everyone agrees with that.
Meanwhile, the press points out that Amanda’s story is hot property right now. The family needs to sell her story now if they want to make the most money from it. Amanda’s dad is not interested in that, but it’s no secret that the trials were costly. Behind closed doors, her dad wonders whether it’s worth getting an interview with Oprah, Diane Sawyer, or someone else respectable.
The problem is there’s a chance that the Italian Supreme Court won’t uphold the acquittal. This would mean it would all go back down to the lower courts, and it could mean that the entire family is thrown back through all of this again.
Amanda continues to push to get her freedom back, and that means moving in with her friend Madison and going back to school. She doesn’t have the support of anyone else just yet.
The hate mail begins in The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox
While Amanda tries to enjoy life, her mom opens the mail she’s received. It’s time to catch up with the letter that was being typed at the start of the series. The death threats and the hate mail begins.
At the party, it’s not even like Amanda faces anyone bad. She just struggles to be around people, feeling like they’re all watching her and judging her. Amanda had hoped they would just see her as the woman she was before the incident in Italy, but now she struggles to tell what they’re thinking.
We also find out that the family is suffering from money problems. Amanda’s dad had to remortgage his house and also Amanda’s grandmother’s house. We continue with the stark realities of post-legal issues.
On top of this, we see how Amanda is a shell of the person she once was. She closes in rather than be the carefree woman that she once was. There’s a part of her that wants to be free, but there’s another part of her that’s racked with guilt and sadness at what her life has become.
Amanda does get a great idea to write a tell-all memoir, but it doesn’t go as well as it could. The truth doesn’t matter. People don’t care about what Amanda has to say. They just want a salacious story that can sell, or they want to hate her so that they can feel better about themselves.
Two years after her acquittal, Amanda starts the press tour to promote her memoir. It doesn’t turn into the promotional tour that it’s supposed to, with the interview turning into many pushing her to admit her guilt. On top of that, her Italian lawyers tell her that the acquittal has been overturned, and she needs to keep a low profile if she wants to avoid going back to prison in Italy.
It just feels like Amanda can’t win. She has a sense of freedom, and it’s all being taken away from her. This time, Amanda remains in the United States. If Italy wants her, they’ll need to push for extradition, because she isn’t going by choice, and that leads to her watching the trial take place on TV, along with the rest of the world.
Another day, another trial
And so, the trial takes place. Amanda Knox can just watch on TV as she’s acquitted once more. Well, that is after she's found guilty once more!
There is a caveat to this one, as it doesn’t rule out that Amanda was there at the time of the murder. The court decides she didn’t do anything illegal, but it does place doubt on her testimony. There’s a sign that she could be a liar, and that is as good as being a murderer for people online.
Now it makes sense why Amanda wants to eventually go back to Italy. She needs to face Mignini to confront him about everything he did to her. Sure, it puts her at risk, but she needs this for closure.
The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox airs on Wednesdays on Hulu.