‘Kaleidoscope’ Ending Explained: Does the Team Pull Off a Successful Heist?
Welcome to the Ending Explained for Kaleidoscope, Netflix’s latest offering in the realm of the heist genre, and one of Netflix‘s most original series when it comes to the presentation of the narrative. You see, Kaleidoscope consists of eight episodes, but unlike most normal TV shows, the episodes are not meant to be seen in regular order from 1 to 8. Instead, the episodes are color-coded, and thanks to Netflix’s “Next episode” feature, every member of the audience will have a somewhat different experience watching the show.
This gimmick is what makes Kaleidoscope stand out from the rest of Netflix’s catalog. Your experience might include some or all episodes until you reach episode “white” which is the grand finale. The gimmick is quite fun, but in reality, it doesn’t add anything to a narrative that plays just like any other non-linear story out there. Tarantino made the device popular with his first films during the early 90s, and since then there have been many imitators. Kaleidoscope doesn’t try to copy Tarantino, but it doesn’t really do anything different with the device. It is just an entertaining heist story.
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for Kaleidoscope. Read at your own risk.
Does The Team Pull Off A Successful Heist?
It doesn’t matter at which point of the story you start. The story begins way in the past when the character of Ray, now known as Leo, was a thief. His partner in crime, Roger, would distract the targets while Leo would get inside their houses and steal their most valuable possessions. For a while, this seemed to be enough for both of them, but after Roger betrayed Leo and, in a tragic turn of events, his wife died, Leo was taken by the police and sentenced to jail for many years. In the aftermath of the event, Leo’s daughter, Hannah, is taken away to a new family.
This is the main motivation behind the heist. Leo then recruits a group of misfits, so he can steal from Roger, who is now a very important executive at a finance firm. Leo discovers that Hannah is now Roger’s VP, and this enrages him even more against Roger. He tries to make contact with Hannah, but she is angry at him for having abandoned her. Leo believes that by taking revenge on Roger, he will feel better. On top of that, Leo has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and he doesn’t have too much time.
The main body of the series focuses on the preparation for the heist and the aftermath. Before the end of the series with the White episode, we are told that the heist went terribly wrong. They didn’t manage to steal everything they wanted to steal, and on top of that, there were losses during the heist. One of these losses is Bob, the safecracker of the team. He is presumed dead by Ava, another member of the team, who ends up being shot. However, Bob survived, and through the second half of the show, he prepares to execute revenge on the rest of the team.
Bob hunts Leo and the others down but ends up getting shot by the FBI. However, he manages to kill Ava, who was Leo’s best friend and closest ally. We also see the character of Judy abandoning her relationship with Stan, with whom she was in a relationship before marrying Bob. In the end, we see Leo visiting Roger in jail, but it seems that sending his enemy to jail was not worth it. Leo makes contact with Hannah, and he promises to visit her and meet her granddaughter. We last see Leo walking away, as he seems clearly sick.
What Happened During The Heist?
The last episode of the season, color-coded with white, as a symbol of revelation and the truth coming out, finally shows us what really happened during the heist. The revelations are not exactly shocking, but they do manage to give more sense to the other episodes. For example. After the heist, we see that Judy is clearly shaken by something, at first, we are meant to believe that the source of this feeling is Bob’s death. However, as episode white, unfolds, we learn the real reason behind Judy’s behavior.
It is revealed that there was an altercation between Bob and the getaway driver, RJ. Tired of Bob’s bullying, RJ shoots Bob in the ass, and when he gets ready to shoot again, Judy shoots him first, killing him. Later, we also learn that it was Judy who strangled Bob, leaving him without a voice. Bob never saw who attacked him from the back, but we see how Judy strangles him and leaves him for dead. Judy decides to kill, Bob, after this goes out of control shooting on the street. In the end, Judy leaves by herself, but it seems she really loved Bob more than anything.
It is also revealed that Ava was the inside man for the FBI, but she never betrayed Leo and the team. Instead, she gave them the slip so that they could perform the heist with more time. It is also revealed that Leo planted an old diamond he had stolen a long time ago. He plants him in Roger’s personal safety, and this is the reason he goes to jail. It is a bit absurd, as the safe is filled with water, proving that it has been tampered with, but the show follows this logic.
It is also revealed that the reason they didn’t manage to steal real bonds from Roger is that Hannah did it first. She reached an agreement with Roger’s clients that would benefit them more and then stole all the money from Roger, giving it back to its owners. It is revealed that Hannah saw Leo during the heist, and they had a heart-to-heart moment. This is the reason later we see them talking over the phone, and Hannah isn’t angry with her father anymore.