Netflix’s ‘Kaleidoscope’ Ending, Explained: Who Killed [SPOILER]?
Netflix‘s Kaleidoscope, a unique limited series where fans can watch the episodes in any order, became an instant hit on New Year’s Day. It follows a former thief named Leo Pap (Giancarlo Esposito) as he calls in reinforcements to help him plan a $7 billion heist on an underground vault at a security firm. But the heist doesn’t go as planned, leading to some shocking twists — including deaths. Here’s what happened in the Kaleidoscope ending.
[Spoiler alert: The following story contains spoilers for the “Pink” and “White” episodes of Kaleidoscope.]
Netflix’s ‘Kaleidoscope’ ending reveals how the heist went
Each episode of Kaleidoscope details a different time period before, during, or after the heist. “White” reveals what happened on the night of the heist itself. Unfortunately, it didn’t go exactly as Leo hoped. He and his gang — Stan (Mark Kendall), Ava (Paz Vega), Judy (Rosaline Elbay), Bob (Jai Courtney), and RJ (Jordan Mendoza) — did manage to steal the $7 billion in bearer bonds. However, they got double-crossed by Leo’s daughter, Hannah (Tati Gabrielle), who had been helping them from her inside role at the firm.
Hannah stole the money from Leo’s crew before they could load it onto the truck. She and her roommate, Liz (Soojeong Son), swapped out the bearer bonds for colorful paper, so the gang didn’t realize they had been duped until the next morning. Hannah revealed to Leo that she wanted to distribute the money back to the wealthy and leave only a few thousand dollars for her father and his cohorts.
On the bright side, Leo still managed to get his revenge on his former partner-in-crime, Graham, now known as Roger Salas (Rufus Sewell). Remember the violet necklace that he and Roger stole in their final heist together before Roger set the fire that killed Leo’s wife? Leo planted that very same necklace in Roger’s safe, giving the FBI enough to arrest Roger for the robbery 24 years prior.
Who killed Leo in ‘Kaleidoscope’? Is he really dead?
Leo, formerly known as Ray Vernon, experienced Parkinson’s disease throughout Kaleidoscope. However, it wasn’t the disease that may or may not have killed him in the end. In “Pink,” which took place six months after the heist, someone shot Leo as he walked through a dark tunnel. The shooter’s face was not revealed, but their T-shirt indicated that it was Roger’s son, Brad (Nate Katsuki). He likely shot Leo as revenge for putting his father in prison.
The gunshot was only heard after “Pink” faded out, so it’s unclear if Leo actually survived. In an interview with TechRadar, Giancarlo Esposito revealed what he wished would happen next.
“I want Ray to walk through that tunnel and see Hannah again,” Esposito shared. “I want him to have that final hug. Parkinson’s is a devastating, uncontrollable disease, but you can fight it and Ray has that fight in him again. As he walks, you don’t know if he makes it, but, at this point of his journey, he doesn’t want any more loss. He just really wants to live.”
Who else died in the ‘Kaleidoscope’ ending? Who survived?
Most of the other members of Leo’s crew met similar fates. RJ was the first to go, as Bob encouraged Judy to shoot him when he tried to stop them from running off with the bonds. Judy later tried to kill Bob by strangling him, but he survived. However, he was then killed by FBI agents in South Carolina. Ava was caught in the crossfire as one of Bob’s goons took her down.
The only two crew members left standing by the end of Kaleidoscope were exes Stan and Judy. They briefly rekindled their romance, but things went awry during the standoff with the FBI. Judy found Bob’s car, filled with money and passports he stole from Leo and Ava, and seemingly decided to go start her own life. Presumably, Stan was then caught by the FBI.
Kaleidoscope is now streaming on Netflix.
