Greetings, reader!
Well, I recently finished the new Netflix hit Kaleidoscope (2023), and I can thoroughly recommend it to fans of gimmicks, heist capers and Giancarlo Esposito.
For those not familiar with the show's concept, it's a wild one - Kaleidoscope is written in a way that the story will make sense no matter what order you watch the episodes in, and therefore there is no 'right' order to watch them in. In fact, Netflix randomizes the viewing order for all users, with the exception that the short intro-episode Black is the beginning point for everyone, and the chronologically last episode White is the final one in everyone's order. Still, a pretty cool trick (and one that must've taken tremendous amount of thought from the writers, whose work I applaud). Here is my ranking of the episodes - as a tribute to the show's premise, I won't present them from worst to best as usual, but rather in a randomized order!
Also, a SPOILER ALERT is in place, as the list is intended for people who have watched the series.
2. Yellow (Six weeks before the heist)
One of the coolest parts of any classic heist flick is the assembling of the team. It's a cliché, but a lovable one, and Kaleidoscope's trajectory is no exception as one of my favorite parts was watching the team come together as the heist gets planned in this episode. The biggest reason for it being #2 on my list, however, is the Diamond Way robbery sequence, which makes brilliant use of The Rolling Stones's Sympathy for the Devil in the soundtrack.
Chronologically, Yellow is the third episode out of eight, and in my viewing order, it was fourth (after Violet, Blue and Green). Having seen the two narratively earlier episodes beforehand, it was easy to keep up, and having seen glimpses of the already-formed team working together in Blue, it was a neat payoff to see how they became a team.
6. Violet (Twenty-four years before the heist)
I've seen many people call Violet, the chronologically earliest episode, their personal favorite from the series. I've put it at only sixth place, and this might partially be because of my viewing order - I had the slight misfortune of having this as my very first episode, and I'm guessing that it would hit a lot harder if it would come later in the viewing experience. Of course it works as a beginning (as does any of these episodes), but I can only imagine what a powerhouse Violet would be more towards the end.
When starting the narrative with Violet, one immediately knows Ray's (Giancarlo Esposito) history with antagonist Roger Salas (Rufus Sewell). If one starts with a different episode and comes upon Violet later in the series, I'd imagine it would work as a very gripping and eye-opening flashback; hence most people ranking the episode higher than I would. It still makes it to sixth place, because I do appreciate its value as an emotional backstory to our protagonist and his nemesis.
5. Red (The morning after the heist)
Coming in at fifth place is Red, the chronologically second-last episode that picks up in the immediate aftermath of the big heist. For Tarantino fans, this is a strong candidate for being the coolest possible beginning point, as the "What went wrong?" opening has a strong Reservoir Dogs feel to it. In my viewing order, Red was third-last, so I had seen everything leading up to the heist but not the actual heist.
Red does a nice job showing the aftermath while still leaving many things open, leaving the viewer guessing concerning the details of the heist - who has the bearer bonds, what happened to Bob (Jai Courtney), what's in Roger's personal safe et cetera. When I started the show and heard that the actual heist is the final episode for everyone, I remember wondering whether there would be any episodes taking place after the heist that we see before it, as that would be conceptually cool but extremely challenging to write. However, they pulled it off.
9. Orange (Three weeks before the heist)
One of the few episodes that I didn't particularly like, Orange still has its moments but overall it left quite a bad taste. The fourth episode chronologically and the fifth in my viewing order, the big highlight with Orange is the ending where we find out about Ava (Paz Vega) working with the FBI. This is a good example of the show's premise working, as viewers who see Orange towards the beginning will watch subsequent episodes knowing of Ava's informant role, whereas viewers who see this towards the end will be shocked to find out that this was the case throughout many of the episodes.
However, a big minus in the episode is the characterization of FBI agent Nazan Abassi (Niousha Noor) - based on all the other episodes, she'd be an interesting and sympathetic-but-flawed character, but this episode absolutely ruins her development. Her monologue to coworker Samuel (Bubba Weiler) feels clunky and forced, and even worse, her tactic of getting Ava to flip by threatening Ava's mother with deportation is totally over the line. It would be different if she was written as a total villain, but the series clearly tries to paint her as a somewhat humane and relatable character, and the serious issue of deporting immigrants is used much too casually as a plot device as if it wouldn't make viewers like me completely loathe the character. Poor taste with that one.
4. Blue (Five days before the heist)
While I do believe that Kaleidoscope's writers succeeded in the 'The story will make sense no matter what order you watch the episodes in' shtick, I'd estimate that having Blue as your very second episode after Violet is one of the absolute weirdest ways to get into the story. The heist is in the making as you're thrown into a whole bunch of characters you haven't met before, with all sorts of drama going on as the heist nears. There's still enough introductory dialogue to help you keep up with all this new information, and an upside to seeing Blue before Yellow and Orange is that it's fun to eventually 'meet' the heist team and see how they came together, once you've already seen them working as a team.
The biggest individual reason for the chronologically fifth episode being quite highly ranked on my list is how it leads up to the heist - the episode starts five days before the main event, but ends right in the smack-beginning of the heist, and that is a thing to behold. In addition to the episode doing a decent job with one of my favorite heist movie tropes (The 'mastermind explaining how it will all go down' montage), the major cliffhanger with the heist about to go down is dramatic and exciting.
7. Pink (Six months after the heist)
The very last episode chronologically has its ups and down, making it a mixed bag that is certainly better than the mostly-disappointing Orange, but not as good as most of the episodes, as a vast majority had very little to complain about. To start out with the negatives, the way things are wrapped up (pretty much everyone dies) is a bit lazy and anti-climactic. While White is the final episode in everyone's viewing order, Pink is the 'true ending' in many ways, and parts of it feel like the writers really rushed to wrap things up.
But oh boy, there are positives - mainly relating to the show's overall cleverness. While I wasn't a big fan of the creative decision to kill almost everyone off, I still appreciate the tie-ins in how some of the deaths are written: Agent Abassi's death seems obscure and unexplained, until you remember a line in Blue about how the 'Triplets' get rid of people in their way, and thus realize that they're the ones who offed her.
Similarly, Leo's (apparent) killer isn't seen, but the shirt he's wearing is also worn by Roger Salas' son in White, therefore making sure that the final episode everyone sees reveals to the most observant viewers that it was a case of the cycle of revenge. So, while Pink is a bit anti-climactic, I still give points for the clever writing as things are brought to a close while still leaving enough open for the reveals in White.
8. Black (Introductory mini-episode)
The minute-long intro episode tells everyone what the series is going to be about, which is a good thing, because viewers who didn't know about the premise beforehand might be confused or at least miss out on a lot of stuff otherwise. Being so short and introductory in nature, Black isn't up there with most of the actual episodes, but it still makes it ahead of Orange, as this one does nothing wrong and didn't do anything to piss me off.
1. Green (Seven years before the heist)
I love a good prison escape flick, and this episode is just that. An episode that many have cited as the best possible starting point, Green is second chronologically and was third in my viewing order. You know, it's funny (and a bit disappointing) how my viewing order ended up being very close to the chronological order - on one hand, I can't complain, because every viewing order works including this one, but given my enthusiasm for the show's wild premise, it would've been cool to see an order that jumps back and forth more. The episodes I watched, marked by the chronological number of each one, would be 1-5-2-3-4-7-8-6; so the only exceptions to the chronological order were Blue being so early and White being obviously last.
But, while Green didn't come to me as a cool starting point or a mind-blowing early flashback, it was still the best individual episode. The escape sequence is remarkably entertaining and full of clever, Prison Break (2005-2009) -style moments. In addition, Giancarlo Esposito pulls off one hell of a performance here, and the dramatic final act (Ray reuniting with his daughter and realizing how Roger Salas has made it) is the perfect set-up to Ray's motives for pulling the heist.
3. White (The heist)
While not quite being the show's #1 best episode or the masterpiece that some finales manage to be, White is still a very overall satisfying ending that makes the whole thing feel successful and worthwhile. The biggest question on the mind of the viewer, coming into this episode and having seen them all including post-heist episodes Red and Pink, is naturally "WHO ENDS UP WITH THE BEARER BONDS?". The reason for White not being even higher on my list, despite its virtues, is actually the answer to this question - the big twist of Leo's daughter Hannah (Tati Gabrielle) double-crossing the team doesn't quite stick the landing. It's alright and it's better than no big twist, but it feels just a bit forced and not as smooth and mind-blowing as the Big Twists in heist capers like Ocean's Eleven (2011) or Fast Five (2011).
But the just-okay twist isn't enough to ruin the episode, especially as everything else in White is pure gold. Seeing the heist go down, after all of the build-up (and all of the aftermath) is just one payoff after another, with especially the long, no-dialogue opening sequence being quite the thrill ride. Also, while the big twist with the bearer bonds fell a bit flat, the other big twist (Ray leaving the medallion from Violet in Roger's safe) is insanely satisfying. It works on so many levels - with one simple act, he makes sure Roger will get busted and go to prison, while also letting him know who it was that took him down, in the most badass way possible. Definitely the right way to end the series.
Thank you for reading! Next week's Thursday is National Pizza Day, so I'll be ranking my top 5 recommended movie/pizza pairings. See you then!
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