This review was made possible due to an advance copy of Kaleidoscope provided by Netflix for review. Kaleidoscope streams on Netflix from 1 January.
What happens when you put together one of the most secure vaults in the world, with a powerful hurricane? The heist of the century. Very loosely based on real-life events— in which $70 billion in bonds went missing during Hurricane Sandy— Kaleidoscope follows Leo Pap (Giancarlo Esposito) as he puts together a crew to rob the ultra-high-tech vaults of Roger Salas (Rufus Sewell). As you probably know, the heist genre as a whole, is filled with a lot of redundant ideas and cliches. So you may be wondering… What new ideas could Kaleidoscope possibly bring to the table? Well… you can watch the episodes in almost any order.
Structure and Viewing Order
Each episode of Kaleidoscope depicts a different period of time in relation to the heist, all the way from 24 years before, to 6 months after. Here’s the list of episodes, so you can see what I mean.
- Violet — 24 Years Before The Heist
- Green — 7 Years Before The Heist
- Yellow — 6 Weeks Before The Heist
- Orange — 3 Weeks Before The Heist
- Blue — 5 Days Before The Heist
- Red — The Morning After The Heist
- Pink — 6 Months After The Heist
- White — The Heist
Netflix randomizes the order of the episodes (except for White, which is the finale) so you can just hit play and let your TV do the work. (I viewed mine as displayed— Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Violet, Red, Pink, White.) Theoretically, though— excluding White— you could bounce around the episodes on your own in any order, but I would advise against a couple things. Don’t watch Pink early on. In fact, I recommend watching it right before White. Pink holds a lot of the emotional weight of a finale, whereas White does a bit also, but mostly focuses on filling in the puzzle pieces. Netflix’s own randomization even takes this into account, by always placing both Red and Pink (or vice versa) right before White. My other piece of advice would be to not specifically try to follow the series completely in chronological order. I found that watching Violet, set 24 years before, was more rewarding later on.
Does It Work?
I must admit, I was skeptical of the concept, going in, wondering if it’s just a cheap gimmick. I had two main concerns: 1. Does the story work well on its own, without the nonlinear concept? 2. Does the out-of-order viewing enhance the story and overall viewing experience? To address my first question… yes. I was happy to see that— while it still utilizes some typical heist cliches— the story shakes things up enough to keep things fresh. Gimmick aside, it genuinely has some inventive ideas and a handful of shocking moments that will leave a unique impression.
As for my second question, that’s a little more complicated to answer. I believe for the majority of the show, the non-linear viewing idea does enhance the experience for the most part, but it’ll be to varying degrees for each viewer. While I might watch it in an order that organically introduces me to a character, you may watch it in an order where you don’t know much about the character at first, but then you’re hit with a big reveal about them. There are multiple plot reveals thrown throughout the series though, so you’re bound to have at least one “Aha!” moment. It will just differ from others… which is still cool, because it can lead to great conversation with friends on your experiences with the plot. The bigger issue I have is something I referenced earlier… the Pink episode. Things can get a bit wonky feeling, going from the furthest point in the future, back to the actual heist… especially because the Pink episode has all the trappings of a finale, barring a few questions left unanswered until White. When I got to White, I was still curious about those loose threads, but I was already mostly emotionally checked out, so the ending didn’t feel that satisfying to me. But, up until that final episode, I was very happy with how the non-linear viewing experience complemented the show’s story.
Characters and Plot
While there may be one specific episode with the heist that Kaleidoscope centers on, that doesn’t mean the rest of the show is devoid of any thrills. Every episode provides an even balance of dialogue and action, usually displaying an entertaining (and sometimes funny) set-piece. Each one mainly focuses on events from Leo Pap’s perspective, through his past, present, and future, while also putting his ragtag heist crew in the spotlight. There’s also a few other perspectives that weave into the story well, but I won’t spoil them for you. But, most of the characters, even ones in conflict with one another, have you wanting to know more about them.
As far as the performances in Kaleidoscope go, there’s two particular standouts for me. With Giancarlo Esposito’s Leo, you don’t know exactly what’s going through his head, but when you peel back the layers and discover more about him, he’s an emotionally driving force. The other incredible role was Bob Goodwin, played by Jai Courtney. For most of my time watching, Bob was just the hothead troublemaker. But Courtney’s performance in one episode later on was absolutely enthralling, and one of the highlights of the show for me.
Final Thoughts
Kaleidoscope is an experiment that mostly works, and even excels at times, but it makes a little bit of a mess when it comes to one of the chronologically later episodes, in relation to the finale. Your experience could easily be different than mine, but that’s also one of the strengths of the show. Despite any complaints… enthralling heists, intriguing characters, and a unique viewing experience, make Kaleidoscope well worth the watch!
All 8 episodes of Kaleidoscope are now streaming on Netflix. Check out the trailer for Kaleidoscope below:
The Review
Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope is an experiment that mostly works, and even excels at times, but it makes a little bit of a mess when it comes to one of the chronologically later episodes, in relation to the finale. Your experience could easily be different than mine, but that's also one of the strengths of the show. Despite any complaints... enthralling heists, intriguing characters, and a unique viewing experience, make Kaleidoscope well worth the watch!
