The Entire Kaleidoscope Timeline Explained

Netflix's new series "Kaleidoscope" is a heist thriller with episodes meant to be watched in any order. Instead of episode numbers, they have been given colors, and yes, each has been orchestrated to fit easily within the timeline at any juncture. Whether you like a linear story, one with multiple flashbacks, or one that jumps around in time seemingly without rhyme or reason, you can have the viewing experience you want.

Of course, Netflix understands most people will not consume the show this way; they will watch in whatever order it is presented to them, which is why Netflix ordered the series differently for each paid subscriber account. So if you and your roommate share one account with different profiles, your episodes will be ordered the same in each profile, but if you each have your own account, there's a high probability they'll be different.

The only constant in the order is that "The White Episode" — the one with the heist itself — is shown last, tying up all of the questions as to what exactly happened and how.

The other significant thing to notice is the prevalence of the episode's color, which shows up in the lighting, background, and foreground of various scenes within. It makes a statement of the mood and the message as much as the script does. The key, unlike so many shows fit for background noise these days, is to pay attention. Here's a breakdown of the show's timeline — which, much like its namesake, is part of a complex and constantly changing pattern. 

The "Green" episode of "Kaleidoscope" joins Ray 17 years into his prison sentence and introduces us to his cellmate Stan (Peter Mark Kendall), a chef in the cafeteria and black market supplier; Stan's girlfriend Judy (Rosaline Elbay), who smuggles in weed lollipops and SIM cards to her guy; and Bob (Jai Courtney), an obnoxious jerkweed with his sights on Judy, who for some reason finds his pungent toxic masculinity sexy. Late in the episode, we also meet FBI agent Nazan Abassi (Niousha Noor) and Ray's now-grown daughter Hannah (Tati Gabrielle). We further discover Graham Davies now goes by Roger Salas and is a (legitimately) wealthy businessman. Some of these characters will assist in the heist. One (or more) will try to thwart it.

Shades of green are everywhere here: in the lighting, the costumes, and the props in hues that run the gamut from seafoam to granny smith to forest, symbolizing sickness, luck, money, inexperience, and jealousy. These themes can be traced directly to Ray's Parkinson's diagnosis, Agent Abassi's painkiller addiction, Stan and Judy's smuggling operation, Stan's puppy-dog affection for her, and Bob's complete inability to see anyone show Judy any kindness or interest.

"Green" finds Ray escaping prison on his own, seeking out Ava for help with a new identity (and cover from the relentless Agent Abassi), and becoming Leo Pap from this point forward.

Orange is the color of energy, but too much can mean hubris or arrogance, and "The Orange Episode" of "Kaleidoscope" is saturated in it.

Many scenes here are in Ava's home, where warm browns and ambers combine with the lighting to create a cozy, autumnal orange to fill the frame. There are also orange accents throughout scenes involving the FBI, particularly in the conference table of the room where Ava is questioned and in the curtains behind Nazam at her Narcotics Anonymous meetings. The color is fitting because both Ava and Nazam overplay their hands here, to their detriment.

Nazam was obsessed with the Ray Vernon prison escape seven years prior and hounded his attorney Ava about it until a body identified as Ray was found burned inside the car he stole and the case was closed. Nazam's harassment of Ava, however, coupled with her drug use that Ava brought to the agency's attention, led to Nazam's suspension.

Now on the path to getting her life back and reuniting with her son, however, Nazam is once again pulled into Ava's orbit with news of a shell casing from the seed money jewelry heist having Ava's fingerprint on it. Ava is called in for questioning but, naturally, she has an alibi and a substantiated account of how and why her fingerprint might be found at the scene. The two stare at each other knowing the gauntlet has been thrown.

Blue is the color of loyalty, security, and authority, but it is also the color of sadness and storms. As "The Blue Episode" commences, a storm is brewing in the Atlantic as well as among the team.

Someone on Roger's staff finds the backdoor in his security system that was going to assist Leo's team in getting past the temperature sensors and shuts it down. This derails the whole plan because they can't get into the vaults. Feeling despondent, Leo nearly strangles Roger in cold blood but pulls back at the last second when he realizes that the upcoming hurricane will provide the exact cover they require.

Working with Judy's chemical expertise, a new way in is hatched, but Bob's disdain for everyone else in the crew leads him to confide in Judy that he thinks they should take the entire haul for themselves — loyalty be damned — leaving everyone else in the cold. Judy feels guilty about this, but still can't seem to break the hold he has on her. Still, she gives RJ a gun for his protection and doesn't seem interested in screwing everybody else over like Bob does.

Salas and the FBI are both, separately, aware of threats lurking in the shadows, but for now, their attention is turned in the wrong direction. As the heist looms, will anything go as planned?

White is the color of ritual, new beginnings, and balance. White is also the coalescing of all colors, just as the heist episode of Netflix's "Kaleidoscope" is the fulcrum of all the other episodes. The whites are blinding throughout, with industrial fluorescent lighting, rain reflected in the night, and strategically placed orchids.

The team is at SLS to execute Leo's plan, but it goes awry. Nerves make some too jumpy and others too cautious. As they carry on, the Feds are tipped off but misdirected, Leo wants to open an extra vault that takes too long, and water floods the whole floor. Meanwhile, Bob (who's still the worst) ditches everyone in the vault, takes the specialized key out of its cradle to lock the gate, and runs up to Judy to steal the whole take.

There are a couple of showdowns as the episode reaches its crisis point, resulting in a handful of shootings, a strangling, and at least one death. Only one of them discovers that the bonds were intercepted on the way up in the elevator to the truck and are no longer in their possession.

The one piece of good news? Leo braves the deep waters of the vault room to put the long-lost Orchid necklace in Roger's safe. Oh, and Ava just happens to point Agent Abassi in the direction of his past. Now for a new beginning.

Red is a powerhouse color, so its uses in the "Kaleidoscope" episode "Red" are more sparing in quantity but just as striking in quality, as they reflect off every surface in the form of traffic signals and alarm lights. The road signs pop. Every instance of blood, too, is a shock of red against skin.

As Leo, Judy, and Stan wait in the auto shop for the truck, reds that had been invisible before are suddenly bold against the background. The couch is red leather. The door panels are red. Some wall panels are too. Vertical beams stand red in the middle of the floors. At least one room divider is a striking scarlet. And outside, the light of the fire casts a red glow on their faces as their paranoia intensifies.

At SLS, Hannah wears a red coat and a sweater with one rich red sleeve. At Sam's butcher shop, his shelves are stocked with red-labeled merchandise and his forsaken family members wear red attire, be it in their leggings, their cardigan, or on their plain white tee as they meet a violent end.

Stan gets shot in a melee, his ear gushing red. Ava also has a gunshot wound in her shoulder when she returns with the truck and eventually wraps up in a ruby-red blanket.

Even their escape boat is The Hickory Wood. Hickory is a type of wood often found in shades of reddish brown, and the hull and cabin of the vessel are painted red.