Kaleidoscope (TV Mini Series 2023) Poster

(2023)

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7/10
I like the idea... But...
DarkPassenger732 January 2023
Despite this being a so called non-linear series (you can watch the episodes in any order and it still makes sense), I decided to watch them in chronological order and I'm glad I did.

If you would like to do the same, here is the episode order by timeline.

Violet - 24 years before the heist.

Green - 7 years before the heist.

Yellow - 6 weeks before the heist.

Orange - 3 weeks before the heist.

Blue - 5 days before the heist.

White - The heist.

Red - The morning after the heist.

Pink - 6 months after the heist.

The non-linear format : A nice idea but I would have been disappointed to end the series on certain episodes. Just my opinion though.
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7/10
It's like a free toy in a cereal box.
Top_Dawg_Critic2 January 2023
It's a gimmick to get you to buy the cereal, but once you get to the toy at the bottom of the box, it's just a cheap useless piece of plastic, and not worth buying the cereal you normally wouldn't buy, just for the toy. This is the case here, a gimmick that does work, but not worth the eight colorful episodes that are basically a two-hour movie spread thinly to make a series, and really not offering up anything revolutionary that hasn't been done before, and much better. If you enjoy this genre and haven't seen Money Heist yet, watch that instead of this, it's 1000x better.

But if you are still curious about this series, then I suggest to watch this in the following order: yellow, violet, orange, green, blue, red, pink. If you leave out white, your imagination would probably be a better resolution. If you're binging like I did, wait a week to enjoy your imagination's of heist day, then watch white to compare your ending to the finale... you'll get the most enjoyment this way. The other more obvious and probably makes the most sense for simplistic viewing is to watch this in chronological order - violet (24 years before), green (7 years before), yellow (6 weeks before), etc.
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6/10
Read you any order can in this summary (do you see what I did there?)
Bobalopacus6 January 2023
Are you fed up with stories? Aren't they all becoming way too predictable, with their structured beginning, middle and end and cliched character arcs? Don't you wish for something novel, something that captures the unpredictability and 'chaos' of reality?

'Kaleidoscope' attempts something which, on the surface, appears quite revolutionary - the viewer is able to watch the episodes in any order and is encouraged to experiment - but is this merely a cheap tacked-on gimmick thought up at the last moment to try and inject some interest into an otherwise generic 'heist' drama?

Or is it something well thought-out that is intrinsically connected to the theme, plot and characters?

I'd say it's the former.

There was certainly nothing here that would entice me to ever watch the whole thing again in a different order. All the novelty of this approach achieved was a sense of dissatisfaction, distraction and a feeling that maybe it would have been better in the 'proper' order - whatever that was?

As for the drama itself - it was mildly entertaining nonsense.

The pacing was reasonably handled, it has a pretty decent cast and the heist itself was quite fun - all of which lift it just above average.

On the negative side, there was some terrible 'de-ageing' employed in one episode and I feel for the viewers who end up watching that one first. Also, none of the characters were particularly believable, there were multiple plot contrivances and the character arcs were limited and predictable. In other words, the story wasn't very well written - putting it in a different order isn't going to fix that.

I can't say which order I watched it in without delving too much into spoilers, on the other hand the whole concept means spoilers will occur for some as a consequence of the order they watch it in. All in all - a failed experiment.

For any other budding writers - master the basics before you mess with the formula.
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6/10
Color Me Mildly Entertained
kkmgirl-448-1119882 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I was initially excited by the "random play order" of the series, but quickly realized I may prefer my stories more linear (at least in this case). It didn't pull off the same effect I got with Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction, but the effort was there. The highlights- good production, mostly good acting, some decent heist moments. The low- the sappy overly dramatic Dad/Daughter storyline, the terrible de-aging makeup, plot holes, and the ridiculously violent temper tantrums from Bob. I think editing out about 2 episodes would have helped keep it fresh, but it definitely grew stale in parts. Maybe I lack the knowledge to understand, but the final episode (Heist) should have been way cooler and tense, yet wasn't. It just seemed unrealistic that they had so much time to stand around arguing, looking for a hidden key, AND having heart to heart talks when the Bad Guy and the Feds were actively aware of the cape and trying to get at the crew. Also, Judy did the math on how big the load was... no way in hell 2 people were able to intercept the load and change out ALL the boxes in that short amount of time. Things like that ruin the heart pounding excitement for me. Lastly, the Big Reveals at the end were completely anticlimactic since I figured them out during the other color episodes. Overall, it was a fine way to kill a few hours, but it wasn't memorable.
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7/10
Random episode playback. Yeah or nay
stephenebrowe2 January 2023
For the most part I enjoyed the story but the random playback of episodes that was the hook by Netflix didn't work in my opinion. I personally feel I would have given more stars and be invested in the characters and story if it had unfolded based on timeline. I'm not a fan of series that use flashbacks in general and with the episodes playing in a non linear order felt jumbled at times.

That being said the characters were well flushed out and the actors cast did a great job. The final episode ( which is the same for everyone) did close a lot of gaps in the story and was a satisfying end to the limited series.
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6/10
Meh
premedprincessxo7 January 2023
Pros: Amazing performance from lead who plays Ray as well as guy who plays Roger Salas. I also enjoyed the actress who plays Ava and felt she brought a unique charm to the role. Also visualization and editing is fantastic and high quality.

Cons: The writing (script overall) and all the supporting actors being subpar. The woman who plays Nazan felt like she was reading off a teleprompter while delivering her lines. Also none of these characters are likeable or fleshed out, their motivations for actions are very hard to buy. Even the lead character's motivation for the whole thing makes no sense and is a letdown.

Overall, I have seen worse but this one is disappointing because with the pros I mentioned above it really had the potential to be a solid 9 -had they just made more efforts to tighten up the script rather than half ass it and wrap it up in this BS "watch in any order" gimmick.
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7/10
A perfectly fine binge worthy show.
mr_sharma12 January 2023
The main draw for this show is that you can watch any episode in any order. Although, the majority consensus is to watch the WHITE episode last as it provides all the answers.

Now, the way this is written is to have episodes without cliff hangers. Meaning you get a snapshot of the story, you have questions and some of them get answered by another episode.

In fact, you should credit this for giving it's viewers some intelligence.

It's watchable, interesting and always revealing.

I did figure it out before the WHITE episode (well most of it except I got the motivation wrong).

Look it's not like you couldn't episode shuffle with other competent shows. Where action had already taken place, you get an idea of what happened then you watch the actual episode where all the action took place and go oh I get it.

As heist movies go, it's ok. As novel storytelling ideas go, it's ok.

As a full 8 episode season goes, yes I would say it's fun, enjoyable and worth watching. It's always engaging which is the key to keeping the audience on your side.

A good binge worthy show.
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9/10
Watch it in this order!
alunhullock3 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This show is an interesting take on what could have been a generic heist plot. By allowing the viewer to choose their order of episodes, every person will have a different experience of how they perceive the plot, the characters and their behaviours.

However, this freedom can ruin what I believe is a well written show. Luckily, I accidentally nailed the perfect order. It would be ideal to explain why, but for spoiler reasons... you'll just have to trust me!

1. Black 2. Yellow (introductions) 3. Blue 4. Violet 5. Green 6. Red 7. Orange 8. Pink 9. White (must be last!)

And whilst you watch, try to identify a mole in the group.

It could really be anyone, and it made the plot more gripping for me as I tried to spot clues in the characters behaviours.
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7/10
Get over yourselves
kendavies-1766825 January 2023
Yes it could have been better. It's not perfect, but really what is. I watched over two nights in the order Netflix gave it me and I thought it was fine. If you need to watch it in chronological order, you'd missed the point. And those who say bad script, bad acting, bad direction blah blah. Tell you what, why not get off your couch and do better. Write something great, pitch it to Netflix. That's the problem with most couch critics, they love to trash everything, yet don't have an ounce of creative ability. Some shows deserve a bashing, because there is some absolute trash being made, but this isn't one of them. In my opinion...of course.
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5/10
Form over substance... What a letdown...
rklemm052 January 2023
I was really looking forward to watching this show. The trailer was appealing, it looked like Ocean's eleven meets Tarantino, so I binge-watched it as soon as it hit Netflix.

But unfortunately, due to the gimmicky "any order will do" structure, the tension doesn't build up, the script had to be "neutral" in every episode so as not to spoil the other ones, should you watch them in a different order than the default one listed on Netflix.

Bottom line, there's too many unnecessary episodes, lingering on back-stories that could have been wrapped up in a few minutes, and not enough about the heist itself. Many important details are rushed or simply overlooked, while other quite insignificant ones are explained in excruciating details.

I really hoped I'd be hooked and amazed. Didn't happen.
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9/10
Have to watch in the proposed order
jorgegoraieb13 May 2023
Would have given it a 10 but for one aspect of the storyline, which I won't get into so as not to spoil.

The acting is superb, the action pieces too.

Not 100% true that you can watch the episodes in any order. Nevertheless, if you do endeavor to mix up the order, make sure you do at least watch the final episode (per Netflix's order) last. Although the given final episode doesn't represent the end of the story chronologically, it does unfold the elemental missing piece of the puzzle and would be a major spoiler if watched before any of the others.

Esposito, Sewell, Courtney, Kendall, Weiler and Vega do a very good job (especially the first three). The rest, bang average.

Director does a great job too.
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6/10
A mixed bag
barrymw14 January 2023
There is nothing unusual in flashbacks in story telling. Kaleidoscope offers apparently thousands of permutations of how to watch this story with each colour coded episode representing a period in time. Having watched the entire series now it's hard to say whether this is a good thing or bad thing but i suspect that the viewers enjoyment or otherwise may depend on the order they are presented to you.

My experience was that there are some excellent episodes but also some very poor so episode to episode is very inconsistent. The overall story is familiar to any heist tale, including the usual aspects were you have to suspend disbelief. That's not a bad thing in heist movies and not a particular criticism. Overall though the end, that is the White Episode we are instructed to watch last, left me feeling flat and disappointed. There were two reasons for this. The first being that you already knew who was backstabbing who, and who amongst a team of thieves, were the most trustworthy so there were no surprises during the final heist. The second reason was that there were two episodes you had already watched where we learn what happens to all the protagonists. Consequently, there is no tension as to whether the beside is successful or not and so it peters out to a predictable end.

For me the random order of episodes didn't enhance the story telling in any way but as I say that may be due to the order I was presented with to watch.
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4/10
Bad characters
evandronius4 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I don't mind the nonlinear approach. The story itself was ok but I felt like they could have taken it in so many different places that would have made it so much more satisfying and interesting. But it was the characters that really soured it for me.

Bob and Judy were two of the most poorly written characters I've encountered in a show in a long time. Bob especially had zero redeeming qualities, but even Judy was such a confusing mess. Throw in RJ, who is supposed to be the nerdy tech guy (of course Asian btw) who also knows cars, and hvac, and plumbing, and is the driver (yeah duh he also raced cars growing up no biggie), which all sounds interesting yet some how he was the most uninteresting character in the crew, and you have half of crew being such hateable, dull characters I felt truly enraged after watching the payoff for all these characters in the white (heist) episode and realizing that yes, they were in fact that stupid and meaningless the whole time.

A huge waste of my time and I really wish the IMDb rating was more accurate so that I could've avoided this entire show. It should be no higher than a 6.
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6/10
Entertaining but...
dayavas_002 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
It is an entertaining series, I liked the concept of watching episodes in disorder but I think that the writers focused so much on that, that they failed to give a good closure.

After watching a well constructed story, the final episode leaves too many holes in the plot and it is extremely incongruent :

1. It is a good twist what Hannah decided to do on her side, but her intentions do not match the actions. I mean, if she wanted to stop her father but also wanted to make Salas pay, she had the opportunity and access to the vault to put the necklace in and provoke the arrest with any other excuse.

Hannah's motives were to prevent The Triplets to take revenge and avoid the man slaughter, but she didn't move a finger to let Stan's family know that Salas' killer was on the way, which ended on the killing is Stan's mother and wife that had nothing to do with the heist.

Besides, she knew that the father wasn't doing that alone, what made her think that the others weren't going to kill her father after theoney disappeared. Completely incoherent.

2. The Stan character is pathetic and shallow. I mean, he knew that Judy was planning to go away with the money and that she and her husband killed Junior, besides, his mother and wife were killed, and even though he ran away with Judy, who abandoned him at the end as she was planning in the beginning.

3. Didn't get why they kept Bob after the diamond heist, as OBVIOUSLY he was going to be a liability and man, it is the underground world, they are not going to tell me that Judy was the ONLY ONE that could do the job. That caused Ava get compromised and a lot of things that could make sense to deviate the attention of viewers but the writers had to close that door on a better way. I mean, something like that, by the end they will know that he was going to betray them so they will use him as scapegoat or something different. I'm not a criminal, but NO ONE will take such a risk of having someone like Bob for such a big heist.

Honestly, good idea, 7 good chapters, bad ending.
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6/10
It's alright
ColinTheGorilla7 January 2023
I started with Violet and I think this show was pretty meh and did some things alright. Giancarlo Esposito was the only reason I even wanted to watch this show due to the fact I think he's a very good actor. He's honestly one of the only reasons I watched this show and even made it to the finale. I think the idea of watching a show in any way you want could be good but this is super confusing and I had no idea where to start at. The heist in episode white was actually so boring and stupid and didn't feel entertaining at all to me and I truly didn't like it at all. I thought it was so generic and stupid. This is worth the watch if you've got a ton of free time.
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7/10
Different viewing experience(s)
paul-allaer11 January 2023
"Kaleidoscope" (2023 release; 8 episodes ranging from 34 to 57 minutes, plus 1 introductory episode of 1 minute) brings the tale (loosely based on real events) of a daring New York heist involving bonds worth $7 billion. The key to note is that, besides the 1 minute ""Black" episode that explains the non-linear concept of this mini-series and the "White" episode that concludes the mini-series, each viewer is given a random order in which to view this mini-series. In my case, I started with the "Yellow" episode ("6 Weeks Before the Heist"), then followed by the "Green" episode ("7 Years Before the Heist"), then followed by the "Violet" episode ("24 Years Before the Heist"). At first, it's a bit daunting as you have no idea what is going on, but by the time the "Violet" episode came around, I felt comfortable knowing that while of course the episodes are related, each episode can be viewed as a stand-alone episode. The mini-series is of course super plot-heavy so the less said about that, the better. I also wasn't all that familiar with the cast. The mini-series is the brainchild of Eric Garcia ("Repo Man"; "Matchstick Men"). Bottom line: highly stylish and with an excellent production set, the mini=series has an overall Ocean 11 (and its sequels) reminding vibe to it. "Kaleidoscope" is a nice change of pace for watching a mini-series. Looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.

"Kaleidoscope" has been heavily promoted in the build-up to its release. Netflix released all episodes on January 1, and I finally started watching last night. If you are in the mood for an enjoyable thrill-seeking heist drama mini-series that provides a different viewing experience, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

*UPDATE 1/13/23* I've now seen all of it. Really enjoyed it. Much has been made by the episodes being shown out of chronological order, but it didn't bother me in the least.
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6/10
So cool!
taywarren2910 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I love this concept honestly and it was very entertaining. We started with yellow (6 weeks before heist). As another reviewer mentioned, you can't start with White or everything is obsolete. White was last for us and I think it's likely last for everyone.

There's a couple of super predictable twists going on. And there's also one episode that seems to have been written by a comedian because it was so funny - I think it was Pink (6 months after heist). If the whole show had been as funny as this episode I would have given it a 9.

I hate that they made one female lead super weak. The explosives specialist. She was a very unlikable character with absolutely zero development. Same with Stan the smuggler. Actually, now that I think of it, the only person who had any character development was Leo.

Super unrealistic as well because - I'm no expert but - i dont think anyone would run a heist of this caliber without having a good connection with their crew. There was so much tension and obvious problems with the crew before they started planning.

There was also no episode that explained how they were going to break in. Just the White episode where it shows it. And they literally don't talk during the entire heist until the end when they start giving up on each other. And Bob just randomly walks away while breaking into the last safe because he saw the feds were EXITING the building. Super random act from a guy who was really amped about getting the money...why would you go all that way and then leave?

And they kill off the only likable character in the end too for literally no reason.

And the whole point of the show was a daughter, abandoned by her criminal father in her childhood, teaching her father a lesson. And keeping the rich rich....yay?
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8/10
You like watching heists and thrillers with "aha!" Moments? Watch white last!
nitschkemike6 January 2023
Don't listen to people telling you to NOT watch white last. It's basically (almost) like watching the last 20 min of the Sixth Sense first, then the rest of the movie...

Netflix put the series in (almost) chronological order for me, and that's (imo) best:

Green - 7 years before the heist.

Violet - 24 years before the heist.

Yellow - 6 weeks before the heist.

Orange - 3 weeks before the heist.

Blue - 5 days before the heist.

Red - The morning after the heist.

Pink - 6 months after the heist.

White - The heist.

Giancarlo Esposito and crew are in top form in this mini series, with Jay Courtney visibly having fun with his character. 8 episodes feel like it hits the sweet spot, Hopefully there's a season 2 with a new story and new characters.
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7/10
Keeps You Curious
JoshuaMercott6 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
First Impressions:

I did not see it in any special order, merely the sequence already available on Netflix and IMDB. The show was riveting and enjoyable. The heist at the heart of the plot was cleverly structured and well-written. Some of the episodes would've benefited from better direction, though.

Story Analysis:

No, this wasn't just another heist story. Clues were scattered across all episodes. And the betrayal angle was gripping to a fault. Plenty of emotion and humanity were also present in "Kaleidoscope", making me wish this mini-series had more seasons attached to its name.

Also, don't be worried about how short episode 1 is. This being an interactive (so to speak) mini-series, that 1-minute introduction was an interesting touch.

Each episode was categorized by a colour. You can watch them in any order, even randomly shuffle them like a pack of cards. But I stuck to the default version - Yellow, Green, Blue, Orange, Violet, Red, Pink, White - and still enjoyed the series.

There was nothing especially unique about this concept. The show was essentially a long heist movie, in a way, split into chapters or episodes. Any order of viewing promised to create a cinematic style or pattern that would've communicated the overall message. So, safe to say, "Kaleidoscope" didn't have a strictly linear storyline.

Each episode portrayed events that took place during different timelines. Here's a quick overview of each epi in this mini-series: E01 (intro; short), E02 (6 weeks before heist), E03 (7 years before heist), E04 (5 days before heist), E05 (3 weeks before heist), E06 (24 years before heist), E07 (1 day after heist), E08 (6 months after heist), and E09 (the day of the heist).

Now, there is no practical guarantee that most of the techniques and ideas used in the show would've work in the real world. Nevertheless, it was entertaining to watch one successful (so to speak) probability play out.

All the characters brought something of note to the series. Engaging performances and good line deliveries further enriched the plot.

Hair-makeup and costume design were great. Production design was remarkable. Art direction and set decoration were noteworthy. Editing and VFX were good. Musical scoring was amazing. Cinematography was great. Stunts were exemplary. Screenplay was great. Direction was quite good.

Final Notes:

Some of the scenes were a tad contrived, making the heist feel more convenient than it should have been. But it didn't take away from the general thrill and entertainment value of the show.

The series had plenty of fun moments and some wonderful twists. Though it dragged in a few places, the story remained true to its overall action-driven value. The revenge arc at the heart of the plot was a genuine treat to watch. I felt much the same about most of the characters getting what they deserved near the end.
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4/10
Empty shell
stefan-34-7424174 January 2023
So, there was a lot of potential in the script, but a couple of things was a big letdown.

The story could easily have been told in 4 * 45 min episodes. The amount of fillers was annoying.

The plot is in many aspect not believeable, there are so many strange plot twists, and those are like... "What are they doing, have they lost it? " Even the episode that contains the money shot is to be honest rather bad... A heist story is easy to tell, and we as an audience do want the story to be at least party believeable, but nope, this is not the show that worth watching.

There are so many other heist movies out there.
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8/10
A surprisingly good heist-er from Netflix
TheTruthofItIs24 January 2023
"Kaleidoscope" (single season, 8 eps, 50-mins, Netflix) is a solid, based on true story mega-heist ($7B in bonds) series that's offered to viewers in an almost random order. The span of episodes ranges from 24 yrs before the heist to 6-months after it. I did not opt for the random order which likely increased my enjoyment 10-fold compared to others you'll notice. I watched in chrono order: Black (only 1-min long), Violet, Green, Yellow, Orange, Blue, White, Red, and Pink. The tale is a good mix of Ocean-11-esque heist, revenge, betrayal, regret, family ties, FBI priorities, etc. There's a lot there to keep you interested. Production values are solid as was the casting/acting and direction. Definitely one of the better series you'll find from Netflix.
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7/10
Great idea that quite don't reach the finish
Kronaut1 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I binge watched Kaleidoscope the first day of the year. A great New Year's Day binge.

As a heist series it's really great and it's as interesting concept that it doesn't matter with episodes you'll see, in the end everything makes sense. I really like most of the characters.

But there's some thing that makes Kaleidoscope not being really great.

Number 1. The character Bob. You know from the very first introduction that this guy will cause problem and not a single heist crew would jeopardise themselves with a guy like that in the crew. It's just frustrating.

Number 2. There's some give aways where this heist will go and since you figure out too early, the ending is somewhat bland.

Number 3. The pink episode where it suddenly is a slapstick comedy.

I don't know if the episodes show in different order for different people but I think the order of the episodes really can affect how you will view the show in the end. Wrong episode to early and the rest will be kind of boring.

But overall, still a very good watch.
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5/10
Pretty mediocre
mfeierskov2 January 2023
The gimmick of being able to watch the show in any order is fine on paper, but what does it actually accomplish? You're not going to watch it more than once and who really cares what order someone else watches the show in.

I don't mind non-linear storytelling and the show was perfectly watchable in the order I got it, but all in all there is very little payoff. I also figured out the twist quite early, because it's pretty obvious if you watch a specific episode early on so when I got the actual heist episode as the last one there was no surprise and it was pretty lackluster. Think about how Oceans Eleven would feel if the actual heist wasn't even interesting.

The cast does a decent job even though everyone is fairly one dimensional.

Overall it wasn't a terrible show, but you're not missing a whole lot if you decide to skip it.
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7/10
I love heists!
LawrenceLambleg18 January 2023
First off - the whole "watch at random" thing is a gimmick. But behind this gimmick, which actually works is a simple truth as to the reason why it worked - because Kaleidoscope was made as every TV show should be made. The "watch at random" gimmick works because every single episode is well-structured and brings pieces of the puzzle together just like a heist story should. Say what you will about Netflix, but this whole "all episodes at once" strategy does away with the necessity for all the cheap tricks TV shows usually do to try and keep you on the edge of your seat, waiting for the next episode. Which never worked for me.

Nowadays TV shows are so riddled with all the usual things that make them so insufferable - cliffhangers; characters that are stupid so that the audience gets annoying exposition if they're lost; characters that are stupid just because the writers can't figure out how to keep the plot going; plot twists just for the sake of plot twists; etc.

Kaleidoscope is a heist series that seems to carefully avoid those, even though clichés are in my opinion what makes heists cool. And this series is full of all the right ones - cool spy music (check), fancy editing (check), intelligent characters who are all brilliant in their field and not to be underestimated (check), crossovers (check), double agents (check), cocky attitude (check)... these are all just things that work.

It's not perfect though. Esposito is amazing and it's been too long since I've seen Rufus Sewel in something. I am so glad to see his face again, I love his acting. Jai Courtney is a big no-no for me. Bob as a character is not the problem, Bob as a character makes sense. The problem is that Jai Courtney's portrayal of the character is just doing a Tom Hardy impersonation throughout the whole thing. He can obviously pull it off, but it's kind of cheap and ruins a lot of moments, especially in contrast to most of the other performances that I think were pretty good.

The dialogue is nothing too amazing, but it's clever when it needs to be. Some might find it predictable, but I always prefer predictable to plot twists that are just pulled out of nowhere. The way the story goes just makes sense. And I really like watching things that make sense.
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7/10
Fun idea
eoinpgeary4 January 2023
The standout of the whole show is Giancarlo, his acting always brings high calibre to his projects.

The whole start whatever order you want is a fun idea but I think maybe would have been better to just release it a certain way and cut down on an episode or two and I think they would have had a much better show.

The pacing of most episodes are the same, a slow build to a big end which is fine but after a while it got a little strenuous.

That said there are some great episodes, my favourite being the 24 years and 7 years before along with the heist episode and the finale I think were all quite strong.

I watched the series in the "Tarantino" order which is Blue Green Yellow Orange Violet Pink White Red

An eventful show and a decent watch, a slow burner with a decent outcome.
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