There’s a lot that’s familiar about Netflix’s new Kaleidoscope limited series. It’s a heist story, and as such, it comes with many of the beats you might expect: old grudges, team assembling, and smaller missions that make for the big one. But there is one major way in which Kaleidoscope differs from similar offerings you may have seen. You can watch the episodes in any order.
The series dropped on January 1 and is the #1 TV show on Netflix right now. Without giving too much away, Giancarlo Esposito plays Ray Vernon (aka Leo Papp), the leader of a group who plot a multibillion-dollar job while settling old scores. Each episode tells part of the story, focusing on Vernon’s motives, the planning of the heist, or what happens in the aftermath. The clips come in whatever random order Netflix decides to deliver them to you (except for the actual heist, which is the final episode).
This isn’t the first time Netflix has experimented with non-linear storytelling. in 2018, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch Screening of “Choose Your Own Adventure” in a film about a computer programmer. The following year, viewers had to make decisions about the adventurer Bear Grylls In You vs. Wild.
Kaleidoscope episodes are named in different colors, no doubt a nod to the series’ name, but also a way to easily keep track of the order you’re watching and compare with friends. You are under no obligation to watch the way Netflix suggests. Here’s what you need to know about how to watch the Kaleidoscope.
And if you’ve made it through and need some help determining what happened, Here is the end explanation.
Do I need to choose an order?
not nessacary. If you hit play on the show, you’ll see a quick primer on how it works, and then start playing right into the loops. It can come in any order, except for White, which is a heist itself, which is organized to be the series finale. However, if you want to choose an order for yourself, you can.
How do I watch it in chronological order?
In the spirit of the show, I’m going to skimp on the episode description so as not to spoil anything. If you decide to watch Kaleidoscope chronologically, the episode is arranged like this, starting with young Vernon 24 years before the robbery:
- Violet (24 years before the theft).
- Green (7 years ago).
- Yellow (6 weeks ago).
- Orange (3 weeks ago).
- Blue (5 days ago).
- White (robbery).
- Red (the next morning).
- Pink (6 months later).
If you decide to go this route, know that any major final swings will occur in the white ring.
Are there other ways to watch?
If everyone does the math correctly, seven episodes, with no repeats, that can be watched in any order should yield over 5,000 options (there are even more if you don’t watch White last). How many hourly dials do you want to experience between you and your calendar.
Netflix has tweeted out some suggestion suggestions, if you’re interested in watching Kaleidoscope as a Quentin Tarantino movie – ostensibly a nod to Tarantino’s non-linear films like Pulp Fiction – (blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, pink, white, red) or like a classic detective story (orange, green, purple, red, yellow, blue, white, pink).
You can go rogue and follow the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink). Or, if you’re feeling particularly rebellious, you can start with the big heist right away.
What do viewers on social media suggest?
Not surprisingly, a lot of people talk about the episode order they chose and which order is the best.
for me #kaleidoscope Request a viewing!
red
Violet
Green color
blue
yellow
orange
pink
white (haven’t seen it yet)Absolutely in love with #girls_whores Such a massive spin on storytelling. Each episode is really a piece of a puzzle, not a set sequence.
– Ames (@screaminglip) January 4, 2023
How did he? You are Watch it, anyone writing this article?
How thoughtful of you to ask. My request, as dictated by Netflix, was:
- Green color.
- yellow.
- Violet.
- orange.
- blue.
- red.
- pink.
- white.
Oddly enough, my friends Netflix account gave her this exact ranking. For me, this approach got off to a strong start, but having orange and blue, and then red and pink meant there were two sets of episodes in chronological order, with relatively short intervals between them. In this section, I felt my attention somewhat diminished. Watching this show in chronological order feels like missing the point. If I could go back and watch in a different order, I’d hit Red (but leave Pink where it is) and flip Yellow and Green, as I think Yellow would be the strongest ring to start with.
So, like this:
- yellow.
- Green color.
- Violet.
- orange.
- red.
- blue.
- pink.
- white.