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Kaleidoscopearrives on Netflix with not one gimmick but two.
Each selection, in other words, will give viewers a different experience of watching the show.
Just how many different experiences are possible?
Rule-breakers who throw the finale into the mix have a mind-boggling 40,320 ways to watchKaleidoscope.
In keeping with the spirit of the series, lets assume theres no idealKaleidoscopeviewing order.
But surely some ways of watching are better than others, right?
Here are a few options and the pros and cons presented by each.
.Succumb to the Randomness
.
Viewing order:?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, White.
This is how I, yourKaleidoscopeguinea pig, watched the series.
But the experience is more disorienting than revealing.
(Also,Why is Giancarlo Esposito in a camouflage wetsuit?)
Does that make it a failed experiment?
The random approach ultimately gels into a (mostly) satisfying story.
It also sometimes yields memorable moments of dramatic irony.
(Or maybe they dont.
It depends on which episode they watched in the lead-up.)
So weve placed it at the end according to the creators wishes.
(But hey, its a show about a bunch of master criminals.
Would they follow the rules?
Watch it third from the end if you want the true chronological experience.)
The series plot spans 24 years, and this path takes viewers from the storys beginning to its end.
WatchingKaleidoscopechronologically is probably the clearest path through its story but not necessarily the most satisfying.
But these feel like revelations best found out later on.
Where watching in random order clears up some mysteries sooner than others, this approach maximizes the confusion.
The old become young (with some CGI assistance)!
The young become children or disappear from the story entirely!
ThinkOceans Elevencrossed withIrreversible(but without the latters most harrowing moments).
Its a bit like looking at a crossword puzzles solution and then trying to solve the puzzle.
Its your Netflix account (assuming youre not sharing somebodys password, that is).
So maybe just watch the big heist instead?
The episodes final shot, one of the series best touches, will be absolutely meaningless, too.
Besides, White is hardly the only episode ofKaleidoscopewith a heist or caper of some kind.
Maybe theres some pleasure to be had in watching everything but the payoff and letting the mystery be.
Could the realKaleidoscopefinale be better than the one in your head?
But again, nothing says youhaveto follow that order.
Its brisk and intriguing.
Then watch Red and Pink, two episodes set in the aftermath of the heist.
Theyll be a bit confusing but just therightamount of confusing.
