Kaleidoscope, a Show with no Order

Anna Peelen l Entertainment Editor

Filmmakers are always trying to find bold new ideas that will forever change film history.

One has even gone as far to make a show that can be watched in any order. “Kaleidoscope,” a Netflix series by Eric Garcia, came out on January 1 and has since risen in popularity, reaching #1 in views on Netflix.

"Kaleidoscope" is 8 episodes long and revolves around a group preparing to embark on the largest heist ever.

The show presents a concept in which the episodes are not ordered by number but rather color. These color episodes can be watched in any order as long as the viewer watches the white episode last. Each episode of “Kaleidoscope” is set at a different time period with episodes ranging from years before the heist to after the heist.

Personally, this idea was intriguing and refreshing.

At points, the jumps in time made the show slightly confusing as well as redundant. Due to the nature of the show, the writers reiterated many points that I had already seen in previous episodes.

"Kaleidoscope’s” plot cannot be described in any such way since the viewing experience is different for every viewer. Netflix randomly orders the episodes for each person, which allows for many people to start at different points of the show.

If the viewer chooses not to watch the white episode last, there are 40,320 ways to watch the show. This show delivers many experiences for the viewer, which, for me, was astonishing.

In my personal viewing order, the story was very well built up and easy to digest. Watching episodes that were set after the heist was a highlight as they were always the most suspenseful. Trying to guess the plot of the show based off the aftermath was something I never got to experience in a show before.

The white episode was one of the best of the whole show. It was the episode that was most anticipated and certainly delivered all the viewer was hoping for.

The twist was out of left field and left me. The episode could have been given more time to let the resolution and twist set in and give a very impactful ending to the show.

Overall, the show is fast-paced and serves a put together heist plot. Some elements are underdeveloped, but, with the concept of the show, the writers did well at making the show easy to watch as well as enjoyable.