What is the best way to watch Netflix’s new show ‘Kaleidoscope’?

The surplus amount of content that Netflix – arguably the Godfather of modern-day streaming, is producing is astounding. While the output doesn’t necessarily equate with quality, Netflix has always tried to push boundaries as far as content consumption is concerned. If you aren’t aware of the groundbreaking interactive sheen of 2018’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, then you must not be one of the victims of the streaming giants’ brilliant PR sword swings. The film, which was a part of the bigger puzzle of the Black Mirror Anthology series, allowed the viewer to make choices that, in turn, changed the film’s narrative. In another one of Netflix’s experiments, we will be presented with the 2023 limited series Kaleidoscope. Featuring a cast that is headed by Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Paz Vega (Sex and Lucia), and Rufus Sewell (The Man in the High Castle), the show presents a heist thriller that viewers can watch in any order they would like.

Yes, you heard that right. While the heist thriller series doesn’t have an interactive element like Bandersnatch, it offers a very unique way for viewers to access it.

What is ‘Kaleidoscope’ all about?

According to the official synopsis released by Netflix, “Spanning 25 years, Kaleidoscope (previously titled Jigsaw) is an all-new anthology series following a crew of masterful thieves and their attempt to crack a seemingly unbreakable vault for the biggest payday in history. Guarded by the world’s most powerful corporate security team and with law enforcement on the case, every episode reveals a piece of an elaborate puzzle of corruption, greed, vengeance, scheming, loyalties and betrayals. How did the crew of thieves plan it? Who gets away with it? Who can be trusted?

Loosely inspired by the real-life story where seventy billion dollars in bonds went missing in downtown Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy, Kaleidoscope consists of eight episodes spanning from 24 years before the heist to 6 months after.

How to watch ‘Kaleidoscope’ on Netflix?

The recently released details of the episode tell us that all the episodes in the heist thriller series take place in a different time stamp. Some of the episodes take place before the heist and some after, but instead of giving the viewers a discrete narrative to follow, the experiment will allow them to watch it in any way they deem fit.

The experiment is not to make viewers find their own story but to allow the eight-episode-long show to affect them in their own individual way; a way that will eventually permeate to someone else in the world in the exact same way too.

However, show creator Eric Garcia has strongly suggested that viewers keep the episode of the Heist for the last to get the absolute thrill of how it all unfolds. Talking to the New York Post, he said, “The one canonical place will be ‘White’ at the end, that essentially acts as the skeleton key of sorts,”

But according to Eric and in spite of his own suggestion, he has told the viewers to make that choice on their own.

So If you’d ask me, I’d suggest the most linear way to watch it would be the best because we all know that all the detail lies in the smaller things. The episodes are named after colors and come with a time stamp.

Below is the way I’d pick to watch Netflix’s new show ‘Kaleidoscope’:

• “Violet: 24 Years Before The Heist”
• “Green: 7 Years Before The Heist”
• “Orange: 3 Years Before The Heist”
• “Yellow: 6 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”

Netflix’s officially released synopsis further adds, “The compelling crime anthology series takes a non-linear approach to storytelling, building intrigue and suspense uniquely, with Netflix members each having a different immersive viewing experience. Some members may start with certain episodes (like episodes “Yellow or “Green”), then move deeper into their own personal viewing order with varying episodes (“Blue” or “Violet” or “Orange,” followed by “Red” or “Pink”) until the epic “White: The Heist” story finale.

All viewers will eventually see all episodes, but the order in which they watch the episodes will affect their viewpoint on the story, the characters, and the questions and answers at the heart of the heist. How will you experience the colors of Kaleidoscope?”

In the end, it comes down to personal choices, and if you choose to take a different path, do let me know in the comments below.