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Giancarlo Esposito of Breaking Bad fame leads an all-star cast in the Netflix limited series Kaleidoscope. The show’s storyline is a bank heist gone awry with a twist, allowing viewers to choose episode order by color.

Technically, the unique storytelling approach has more than 5,000 ways to watch. However, the order Netflix actually selects for you might not actually be random.

The episodes can be watched in any order

A Netflix user watches a on a laptop
A Netflix user watches on a laptop. I Stefano Guidi/Getty Images

Netflix users can stream the first seven episodes in any order they choose. The only rule is to finish with the “White” episode, which explains it all.

Each episode represents a color found in a kaleidoscope, and when combined, the colors become white. Executive producer Eric Garcia told Netflix that each episode contains at least seven questions answered by another color-coded episode.

“There are five episodes that take place before the heist, two episodes that take place after the heist, and then you get the “White” episode,” Garcia said. “The idea is that when you watch the “White” episode, you’re learning true answers to things that have been hinted about beforehand and afterward. You really find out everybody’s true motivations. It’s almost like a skeleton key.”

Instead of one vision, Netflix hired a new director to film two episodes each, providing four unique perspectives. The option to watch the episodes in any order has caused a lot of social media buzz, proving to be a successful marketing move. But is the order truly random?

‘Kaleidoscope’ has definitive patterns to how users are being served episodes

The one-minute “Black” episode introduces the immersive viewing experience. In chronological order, the eight episodes include:

  • “Violet” – 24 years before the heist
  • “Green” – 7 years before the heist
  • “Yellow” – 6 weeks before the heist
  • “Orange” – three weeks before the heist
  • “Blue” – five days before the heist
  • “Red” – the day before the heist
  • “White” – the heist
  • “Pink” – six months later

Netflix claims to randomize the order, but the episodes appear to be separated into three blocks, appearing in either the beginning, middle, or end of the series. After a lot of research and several informal surveys, Mashable determined most people see the beginning “Yellow” and “Green” episodes as their first and second viewing options. The next three middle episodes are usually “Blue” / “Orange” / “Violet” in various orders, followed by the ending episodes of “Red” / “Pink” / “White” in the exact same sequence.

Since Netflix has approximately 223 million subscribers, every viewer can’t receive a random order, with only 5040 possibilities existing. However, there does seem to be at least a deliberate pattern to how the episodes are being presented.

What is the best way to watch ‘Kaleidoscope?’

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There are plenty of online theories for the best way to watch the innovative series. Speaking with ABC News, Esposito explained, “What I love about this show is that our desire for order is scrambled. There is no order, and it creates a world where all of the connective tissue leads to Rome,” he said.

The Mandalorian actor suggested letting your imagination guide you through the episodes based on what you want to know. “Nothing like this has ever been done,” he said, adding that the unique concept “gives the audience the power to be able to choose creatively how they want to watch it.”

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