Drama
The Rig
Supernatural fog is never a good weather pattern when you work on an oil rig. But violence and profanity, apparently, are right as rain.
I’ve got a story for you.
It’s about a group of thieves, experienced and amateur, who together attempt the perfect heist. The job? Stealing $7 billion in unsecured bonds owned by a trio of mysterious European bankers from what’s likely to be the most secure vault in the world.
The premise piques your interest. “Start from the beginning,” you say.
But that’s the problem. Do I start from when the team was assembled? Or how about I provide the relevant history that led up to the heist being planned in the first place? Perhaps I hook you by beginning with the bloody aftermath that followed the heist?
I suppose it doesn’t really matter where we start; it’ll all make sense in the end.
Netflix’s Kaleidoscope boasts a unique concept: Viewers can watch the episodes in any order, with a randomly selected beginning point for each color-named installment. So, your given episodic order will likely look completely different from your neighbor’s, though you can watch them in any order you’d like.
Plugged In’s Netflix queue began with the episode titled “Yellow,” for instance. Yours might start with “Green,” “Blue,” “Red” or any of the other episodes. That said, a brief, 50-second intro called “Black” plays first. And you can see that the last episode—which is intended to be the conclusion—is called “White” (though nothing is stopping you from watching it out of order, too, if you want). So, if my high school education on permutations holds up, that’s a whopping 5,040 potential viewing possibilities, withholding “White” and “Black” from that mathematical mixture.
But while the gimmick might be enough to draw an audience initially, some of those thousands of narrative paths might not be as good as others. Type the show into Google, and you’ll already find articles and forum discussions on the best order to watch the series. And in practice, the concept comes off a bit like trying to learn a board game by reading the instructions in random order: Sure, you might know how to play by the end, but you’re setting yourself up for an experience that may be more confusing than it’s worth.
As for the characters in Kaleidoscope, you’ll find that any crew willing to steal $7 billion may also be willing to engage in other unsavory content. People get shot, cut or are otherwise injured or killed; and blood pours from wounds. Also, the language in this one is heavy and frequent as well.
Sure, some people might get better viewing experiences than others depending on the randomized order they watch the show. But ultimately, everyone will get the same TV-MA content.
Six weeks before the heist, Leo builds his team of thieves.
We see people tase guards and steal diamonds. Judy, the team’s chemist, detonates smoke bombs in trash cans. People are shot (and presumably killed). Judy’s husband, Bob, is shot in the hand, and the gory aftermath is clearly visible. We later watch as a woman operates on the hand.
People kiss, including two women. A woman takes a pregnancy test that comes back positive.
Leo takes prescription medication. Many characters drink wine or other alcohol. A man is alleged to have connections to Nazis. A woman steals from a bank to test its security.
A woman says someone “found God,” prompting a sarcastic “Hallelujah” from someone. The Rolling Stones’ song “Symphony For The Devil” plays in the background of a scene.
The f-word is used more 35 times, with three instances preceded by “mother.” The s-word is heard nine times. We also hear a couple instances each of “a–,” “b–ch,” “d-ck,” “h—” and “b–tard.” God’s name is used in vain four times. Jesus’ name is abused once.
Seven years before the heist, Leo attempts to break out of prison following a discouraging medical diagnosis.
Much of this episode’s content centers around drug use. We hear references to hardcore drugs, and we see a character smoking marijuana. Stan, another member of the heist crew, drugs a room of inmates with “magic mushrooms.” The mushrooms cause the inmates to act wildly, and some men moan as they massage one another. Another man vomits because of the drugs. People drink alcohol.
A car and body are seen burning in a fire. White supremacists beat up Stan using a rolling pin, and the resulting injury is a bloody one. Stan slices his hand with a knife onscreen. He later jokes that he finally started menstruating. We hear a reference to genital size.
The f-word is used 18 times, and the s-word is used nine times. We also hear one use of both “b–ch” and “h—.” “D–n” is heard four times. God’s name is abused four times, including twice in the form of “g-dd–n.” Jesus’ name is misused once. The racial slur “spooks” is used regarding Black people.
Though he was born in Kansas, Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics and hermeneutics. He doesn’t think the ending of Lost was “that bad.”
Supernatural fog is never a good weather pattern when you work on an oil rig. But violence and profanity, apparently, are right as rain.
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