Jenna Walter
Executive Theme Editor
This new Netflix series, “Kaleidoscope,” is exceptionally captivating and has a phenomenal cast. All episodes had an interesting storyline that gave the audience a new piece of information about a big-money heist. The cast was brilliantly crafted, as each character brought unique emotion to its role.
“Kaleidoscope” is a heist series of eight- episodes that can be watched in any order of the viewers’ choosing, which changes the experience of the story. However, “White” must be watched last. Each episode is named after a different color and captures a different moment in time before or after the heist.
Produced by Eric Garcia, “Kaleidoscope” stars Tati Gabrielle as Hannah Kim; Rosaline Elbay as Judy Goodwin; and Giancarlo Esposito as Leo Pap. The show was directed by Everado Gout and Mairzee Almas.
The show spans over 24 years, so the audience gets the backstory of the characters, a resolution after the heist, and of course, a viewing of the heist itself in the last episode. The heist centers around master thief, Leo Pap (Esposito), and his crew as they attempt their $7 billion heist. Each episode showcased a different crew memeber’s life and how its strengths led it to be a part of the heist.
One of the series’ greatest strengths was the casting. The mastermind behind the plan, Leo Pap, was perfectly cast. He has played roles in shows like “Breaking Bad” and “The Mandalorian,” which give him the right experience to play a role like Leo.
Each actor gave a great performance, bringing complexity to the screen. Viewers have a constant dislike for the protagonist’s development on-screen due to the dark side of his “mastermind.” Esposito has viewers constantly watching due to his ability to show the mind of a man full of greed with a fair amount of brilliance.
The show has many nuances, depicted through both hidden and overt references to movies and pop culture. The show is also very fast-paced due to the fact that it is only eight episodes, with each episode ranging from 34 to 56 minutes. Eight episodes is the perfect length for a show like “Kaleidoscope” because the audience gets a good understanding of each character without feeling like the plot is repetitive. Esposito, for example, was in the majority of the episodes, while other actors were only in one or two.
The cinematography of the show was fascinating and unique, but due to the conflict in the storyline, was confusing during the plot. The show was packed with action, which added entertainment.
Although the show had intriguing episodes, the series felt too chronologically jumbled to have an enjoyable viewing experience. There were numerous gaps in the plot due to the confusing script-writing and non-linear direction of the show.
“Kaleidoscope” has quite an unsatisfying ending as not all parts of the plot are wrapped up. There are several unanswered questions and hidden Easter eggs that never get resolved. The final episode does a good job of connecting all the dots from previous episodes, but it would have been nice to see a more well-thought out ending.
Though “Kaleidoscope” has some negative factors, the production and marketing strategy was spot-on. Netflix chooses to randomize the order of the episodes in the show so viewers would get a chance to watch the show in an original non-linear way.
The show is complicated to comprehend, but the idea of a dimensional, non-straight forward show was consistent throughout the series all the way up to the end. With this said, the episode “White” was always placed as the finale of the show just to provide viewers with some closure, even though the ending was slightly hard to understand.
The show is overly complicated, but it gets viewers actively thinking about what’s currently happening while attempting to connect it to past episodes. The non-linear plot line of “Kaleidoscope” feels hectic at times, but the content and acting in the show override the confusion as viewers get one cohesive story in the end, which is worth waiting seven episodes for.
All eight episodes of “Kaleidoscope” were released on Jan.1. The show is rated TV-MA and can be watched with subscription on Netflix.
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