This post contains spoilers from The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox episode 1 from this point forward.
Before diving into the new Hulu limited series The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, it's likely that most viewers are at least casually familiar with the cast that swept national and global media in 2007. Based on true events and executive produced by Amanda Knox, the series stars Grace Van Patten as the college student studying abroad in Italy and ending up accused of murdering her roommate.
The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox introduces Amanda's life and how she wasn't often fitting in with her peers. The opportunity to spend her junior year of college in Italy presented Amanda with a way to meet new people and further discover who she is apart from her divorced parents and separate families. She quickly becomes tight with her British roommate Meredith Kercher (Rhianne Barreto).
But the trouble begins when Amanda and Meredith begin having separate adventures with love interests. Amanda spends more and more time with her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito (Guiseppe De Domenico), who she had only known for about a week. After another night sleeping over at Raffaele's apartment, Amanda returns to her home and the tragic events begin to unfold.
The break-in, the phones, and Meredith's locked door
Amanda's unsettled from the second she returns to the home she shares with Meredith and two other roommates, Philomena and Laura. The front door was open, but she didn't find anything out of the ordinary or any of her roommate's home. Before taking a shower, Amanda noticed dried blood on the sink. After showering, she spotted blood all over the bathroom rug.
Perhaps the most unsettling bit was seeing poop in the bathroom toilet... and later seeing it disappeared. Having gotten dressed, Amanda grabs a mop and runs out of the house back to Raffaele's. He escorts her back to her house to check it out. They find a broken window in Philomena's room and attempt to break down Meredith's locked door.
Raffaele calls his sister, a police officer, and the pair find some officers approaching the house outside. They aren't the cops they called and don't have jurisdiction here as they're looking for information on phones connected to Philomena (she apparently lent Meredith a SIM card). But they agree to take a look inside. Later, Philomena returns and more cops arrive at the scene.
How Amanda Knox became a suspect in Meredith's murder
Philomena's friend breaks down Meredith's door and the find her dead body covered by a duvet. (The body is never shown on camera.) Amanda's in disbelief that they actually found Meredith dead. Outside the house, the detectives look around, watching Amanda kiss Raffaele. Amanda's questioning at the police station doesn't go much better for her. The detectives don't believe her story adds up, and the fact her fellow roommates don't like her adds to their suspicion.
Because of the language barrier, cozying up to Raffaele again, and her character quirks, which Amanda hints to in the narration of the series, she becomes the leading suspect in her friend's murder. The detectives ask only her back for questioning the next day, but she assumes that's because they need her help, not because they're attempting to pin her for the murder.
Beyond the unraveling of the murder case in 2007, the other throughline of the series involves a flash forward to 2022 as Amanda secretly returns to Italy with her baby daughter, her husband Chris, and her mother. They sneak her past the border unseen in the backseat covered by a blanket, and when they arrive at their destination, her mother's still convinced Amanda's being set up. It's finally revealed who she's meeting: Her prosecutor.
Watch The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox on Hulu.