Imagine an ambiguous show where each episode can be watched in any order, whether it be chronological, alphabetical, or completely random. Such a concept is seemingly inconceivable. How could episodes follow no specific order, but still provide viewers with an enriched experience and understanding of every character’s background and history? Kaleidoscope, a new Netflix show, accomplishes this goal.  

Released on January 1st, 2023, Kaleidoscope follows the leader, Leo Pap, and his ambitions to rob a trio of extremely wealthy people, although this mission may serve ulterior purposes than simply allowing him to possess billions of dollars in bonds. Leo has a history with the owner of the bank that provides security to the trio’s bonds and is seeking revenge.  

The timeline of the episodes ranges from 24 years before the heist to six months after the heist. The only stipulation to the randomly assorted episodes is that every viewer must conclude their consumption of the show with the final episode, “White,” where the heist occurs. The episodes are titled with the names of colors, and every episode begins with the screen being flooded with the color, and the timeline being shown in big bold letters. 

Alongside Leo, he has four accomplices, Bob and Judy Goodwin, a couple that specialize in explosives and cracking codes, Stan Loomis, who steals various objects for the crew, and Ava Mercer, who works with weapons.  

The following review is displayed by how my personal Netflix account ordered the episodes. SPOILERS AHEAD: 

“Green” – 7 Years Before the Heist 

Memorable moment: When Ray Vernon and Stan Loomis team up to break out of prison, fed every person magic mushrooms to cause a huge distraction, and Ray manages to escape and hide in his doctor’s car. 

Details: While the prisoners were all hallucinating, the camera panned around the room following the whimsical movements they were exhibiting. This enhanced my experience of the episode, where I could imagine how strange and sloppy their minds must have felt. 

Rating: 8/10  

“Yellow” – 6 Weeks Before the Heist 

Memorable moment: When the crew throws unidentifiable objects into trashcans surrounding a jewelry store, stealing the funding for their seven-billion-dollar heist. 

Details: The suspense built around the scene was great, the camera bounced back and forth between every member of the crew, and as the smoke bombs exploded, and the street was clouded, the real excitement began. Random people dressed in regular street clothing revealed themselves to be part of the crew as they pulled gas masks over their heads and began the jewelry store robbery. 

Rating: 6/10 

“Violet” – 24 Years Before the Heist 

Memorable moment: When Ray realizes that his former wife had been hired at the last minute for the Christmas party he was robbing, and that she was somewhere in the fire he had caused to escape.  

Details: The sounds in this scene were loud, and amplified the anxiety Ray was feeling. The background ambulance sirens paired with the crackling of the fire made the panic in Ray’s face feel real.  

Rating: 6/10 

“Orange” – 3 Weeks Before the Heist 

Memorable moment: When the FBI are investigating this heist, blackmail Ava into working with them and feeding them information, and we are left to wonder if the fate of the heist is doomed. 

Details: The seating of Ava and the FBI agent made the conversation feel discreet, as they faced away from each other, but continued to negotiate. It was artful character blocking that intensifies the FBI involvement and knowledge of the case.  

Rating: 5/10 

“Blue” – 5 Days Before the Heist 

Memorable moment: When Leo (name changed after he faked his death) breaks into Roger Salas’s (the man who owns the bank they intend to steal) home, puts an irritating liquid into his eye drops, and leads Roger to Stan, who is pretending to be an eye doctor. There they scan his retinas and store that information to use to bypass one of the security locks. 

Rating: 8/10 

“Red” – The Morning After the Heist 

Memorable moment: When during the argument, Judy throws one of the containers down, and they see colored construction paper spill out of the box, as opposed to the bonds they were expecting.  

Details: The tension in the scene is building, and as they argue and discuss potential betrayal in the crew, the peak is when their shock erupts from the discovery of fake bonds. The audience is brought along well with this moment.  

Rating: 9/10 

“Because the show had been based in mostly flashbacks, it was jarring to see a random flash-forward that threw off the timeline.” said Ale Fountain (‘24), who attempted to get through a few episodes of the show.  

“Pink” – 6 Months After the Heist 

Memorable moment: When Bob must use a text-to-speech app to replace his broken voice, and while he attempts to convince Roger to work with him, it plays an ad instead of his intimidating message.  

Details: The lighting on Bob’s face when he seeks revenge, and the emptiness of the beach emphasize his loneliness, and show how difficult it is for him to pursue this plan.  

Rating: 9/10 

“White” – The Heist 

Memorable moment: When we discover what Leo placed into Roger’s personal safe, and what happened to the bonds that transformed to colored paper. I won’t spoil this part. 

Details: No spoilers, but just know that every part of this show has led up to this episode: “The Heist.” It is jaw-dropping and completely worth watching. 

Rating: 10/10 

I would argue that my arrangement of episodes was relatively lucky. I would have wanted to see one of the flash-forward episodes initially, then delve into the flashbacks that help fill in the question blanks. If my episodes had been organized in any other way, jumping back and forth as opposed to generally keeping the flash-forward and flashback episodes in chunks, I would have disliked how confusing the format would have been.  

For some viewers, this concept can seem strange of having multiple episodes in an unconfirmed timeline. 

“I felt like I was dropped in the middle of something, and I didn’t know what was going on, but not in a good way.” said Julia Tyck (‘23), who attempted to start watching the show before her confusion stopped her.  

Kaleidoscope may not be for everyone, but for the community that enjoys the thrill of a heist and discovering how the characters bypass seemingly impossible locks and traps to reach the riches, this show is definitely worth a try. 

I just hope that you get lucky with your Netflix arrangement. It may shape the entire viewing experience.