‘Kaleidoscope’ series review: A well-executed non-linear caper from Netflix

Giancarlo Esposito and Tati Gabrielle in a scene from ‘Kaleidoscope’ | photo credit: netflix

Robbery’s always fun — no, I’m not admitting criminal intent. The heist on the screen always reminds me of the summer holidays I ran away from reading James Hadley Chase. The novel, with their intricate plan, the back stories of the main players, the law enforcement officers on the trail, the heists, the rivalries, the jealousies and the betrayals that tear the plan apart was irresistible.

Eric Garcia kaleidoscope adds another twist to the mix – it’s non-linear and viewers can watch seven of the eight episodes in any order, with the final episode being decided. The episodes are named after colors and the timing is mentioned in relation to the heist.

one could see kaleidoscope Chronologically, starting with Violet, which takes place 24 years before the heist, to Pink, which takes place six months after the heist, but would mean watching White, the episode of the heist that García plans to finalize. Had intended, out of sequence.

I thought of watching the episodes in rainbow order, but there is no Indigo and no room for the White and Pink episodes. In the end, I acted lazy and let Netflix decide for me, which worked well because it gave me the illusion of control while it decided for me.

kaleidoscope tells the story of criminal mastermind Leo Papp (Giancarlo Esposito) who puts together a crew to rob $7 billion in bearer bonds. The crew consists of lawyer and weapons expert Ava (Paz Vega), safe cracker Bob (Jai Courtney), his wife Judy (Rosalyn Elbe), who is a chemical and explosives expert, Stan (Peter Mark Kendall), smuggler and procurement person. and RJ (Jordan Mendoza), the driver.

The bearer bonds are in a supposedly impenetrable vault guarded by SLS, a corporate security firm run by Roger Salas (Rufus Sewell). The bonds belong to three shadowy, powerful people known as the Triplets. To swing something of this size, there needs to be someone on the inside, and that person on Leo’s inside is his estranged daughter Hannah (Tati Gabrielle), the head of digital security at SLS.

Cracks appear in the plan even as Leo is setting it in motion. Bob is a loose cannon and gets shot in the arm (it’s the two-handed safe he has to break in the SLS), Stan has feelings for Judy, Leo has a history with Salas, and An FBI agent Nazan (Nausha Noor) is firmly on their trail.

All kinds of characters are presented in broad brush strokes. Leo has a degenerative medical condition and had a chance to go straight but for circumstances that led him away from the straight and narrow. Ava, who is totally put together, has a torrid past and a vulnerable spot. Sala is sleek and powerful, but also hides a secret that could destroy him, and RJ dances to the beat only he can hear. There is a darkness within Judy that only Bob can overcome, much to the dismay of the mild-mannered Stan. Nazan struggles with substance abuse, fighting for custody of her son and her job, but cannot let go of Ava, who was responsible for her suspension. copy of Nazan moby dick Underlines his Ahab-like fixation on Ava.

Faithfully following all the rules of the genre, and well done there is comfort in it, kaleidoscope A well executed prank that is well worth your time. And that fantasy of control is a unique talent.

Kaleidoscope is currently streaming on Netflix