Hello everyone
Happy 2023. It’s good to have you with me for another year.
The Right Order
For every story, there is a timeline—the events of the story happen in a specific order. However, in recounting that story, those events do not need to be told in chronological sequence. So, for instance, in a novel, film, or TV show, the first scene could be set today, the second scene could be set two weeks ago, and the third scene could be set a year in the future.
In a novel, film, or (broadcast) TV, even if the story is not recounted in strict chronological order, the order in which the story is told is the same for every viewer/reader. But with streaming services, there is the opportunity to take a step further and give each viewer their own individual timeline.
This is what Netflix’s recently released heist series Kaleidoscope does.
How Kaleidoscope Tells its Story
Instead of numbering the episodes, each episode of Kaleidoscope is named with a color. Each color episode is a self-contained element of the larger story about a heist, but is set at a different place on the timeline.
The unique aspect about how Netflix delivers Kaleidoscope is that the episodes are delivered in a different order for each viewer. So, for instance, the first episode that was delivered to me was Green, which recounts the events that occurred 7 years before the heist. By contrast, the first episode that may be delivered to you could be Pink which occurs 6 months after the heist or Orange which occurs 3 weeks before the heist…or Violet, or Yellow, or Blue, or Red.
You could see any of the colors which all take place over a 25 year span in any order: there are 5,040 possible combinations for the order of the first seven episodes.
The only certainty about the order in which you will see the episodes is that White—the heist at the center of the story—will be the last episode that is delivered to you.
Is Kaleidoscope Any Good?
While the random ordering of the episodes is (comparatively) unique and is an interesting talking point, there’s a far more important question before I carry on: is Kaleidoscope any good? Is it worth watching?
And in short, yes. I thought Kaleidoscope was great and recommend you watch it…provided it’s your sort of thing.
While the ordering is interesting—and I’ll talk more about the ordering later—don’t watch the series just because Netflix is trying something different with the episode ordering. Watch it because it’s a fun and gripping story.
What is Kaleidoscope About?
While the odd ordering of episodes is an interesting idea, this does present a challenge to me—I can’t tell you much apart from saying that the story is set over 25 years and is “about a heist”.
When I usually talk about a film or TV series, I can give a hint about some of the early action. However, given that I don’t know the order in which you will be seeing the episodes, it’s impossible to tell you about the early scenes you will see.
However, beyond saying it’s a heist, let me try and hint at some of the themes. This is a bit of a list of parts, rather than a coherent whole, but hopefully this gives you a flavor of the series.
Ocean’s Eleven
Perhaps the best way to talk about Kaleidoscope is to use the Amazon approach—if you liked X, then you might like Y. In this context, if you liked the movie Ocean’s Eleven, then you’ll likely be entertained by this TV series. There are parallels between the two:
- a heist…a seemingly impossible heist
- a personal vendetta such that the money is less important than the heist, and
- a team of misfits who seem balanced on the edge of disaster at all times.
Protagonist
The protagonist of the story is Leo Pap (played by Giancarlo Esposito).
Before the heist, Pap has been in prison for 17 years. Slowly we learn why he was in inside, and what is driving his desire for vengeance. We also find what fractured his relationship with his daughter—the fracture that he is now seeking to repair.
The FBI Agent
There are many characters who could be regarded as the antagonist in the story, and several FBI agents, but the agent who best fits the role of the antagonist who tries to thwart the heist and then chase down the crew is Nazan Abassi (played by Niousha Noor).
Abassi has her own demons—she’s a recovering addict who has lost custody of her child—but she’s dogged in her pursuit of her own white whale (Ava Mercer, another of Pap’s crew).
Why Mess with the Timeline?
So why mess with the timeline? What does the messed-up timeline offer the viewer?
Telling Stories in Non-Chronological Order
Many stories are told in non-chronological order. This breaking of the chronological timeline can be achieved in a number of ways, most commonly scenes from different times can be ordered out of chronological sequence, but the same dramatic end can also be achieved with the use of flashback/flashforward.
The main reason to tell a story out of order is to withhold information from the reader/viewer. This can increase the tension and the intrigue. It can also move the reader’s/viewer’s focus from what happens to why did this happen or how did this happen.
The technique can work well, although personally I’m not a big fan. Too often the technique is used (particularly on TV) when there is insufficient tension if the story were to be told in chronological order. To my mind, if the only reason a story has any tension is because it is told out of sequence, then the story is too weak to be told as as story, and it is certainly not a story that will stay with you after reading/watching.
But this is not the case with Kaleidoscope.
Individual Timelines
While there can be benefits to having a non-chronological timeline, what are the benefits to having a personal timeline (or a 1-in-5040 timeline)?
And here I’m struggling somewhat…but I think there are reasons to appreciate the individual timeline approach:
- Each episode is more self-contained than may be the case in a series where the episodes are delivered in a specific order.
- The viewer needs to pay more attention. There are no “previously on…” style recaps and there is no natural flow to the story to help remind the viewer of previous events/who each character is.
- Every viewer may form a different view of the story because they have approached the tale in a different way.
Is It Worth It?
I think having 5,040 variations of the timeline is an interesting idea. But I’m not convinced.
I’m not convinced there’s enough benefit to having different timelines. Heck, I’m not convinced that there’s really any benefit to having one’s own personal timeline. Fundamentally, I don’t believe that I would view the story differently—or view any of the characters differently—if I had seen the series in a different order.
And for that matter, I’m not convinced that my experience would have been different if I had seen the story laid out in a purely linear fashion. Although, in this case, the two post-heist episodes might have been a bit of an anticlimax since White—which is always the last episode to be shown, for everyone—includes the twists/reveals/explanations making it the fitting conclusion.
In summary: watch Kaleidoscope for the story—and it is a good story, especially if you’re a fan of the heist genre—but don’t watch it for the timeline messing stuff.
Until February
I hope I’ve done enough to entice you to watch Kaleidoscope (or have confirmed your suspicion that this really isn’t the thing for you).
Until February.
All the best
Simon