Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Kaleidoscope.Move over, Danny Ocean; this is Leo Pap's show, and he's not taking a back seat to anybody. With the new Netflix heist show Kaleidoscope shooting straight up to the top of the streaming service's trending chart exactly one day after its release, it's clear the series is already finding success.
Now, we do realize just how bold of a claim it is to compare a role from a Netflix TV show to Frank Sinatra and George Clooney's Ocean character. You may think there is some sort of recency bias at play. Well, then how about if we double down and proclaim that Giancarlo Esposito's turn as point man Leo Pap is a notch above the role that established him as a bonafide star in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul? That's right, we're slotting Pap ahead of Gustavo "Gus" Fring, his most iconic and memorable role to date, the one that earned him three Emmy nominations, a Critics Choice award win, and saw Esposito become a household name for the better part of the last decade. And there is one simple reason why.
Why Leo Pap Is Better Than Gus Fring
Esposito is a well-rounded, dynamic actor that can become whoever he needs to be in a role. His portrayal of the Albuquerque-based drug trafficker who was at war with the Salamanca family in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul was a chilling one There is absolutely no question that he deserved every accolade he got for playing the sociopathic, cold-blooded killer who fronted as a Los Pollos Hermanos franchise owner while operating a massive narcotics cartel. It was undoubtedly a brilliant and memorable turn. But it was also a one-note performance.
We'll give you that it was a terrifying note, and his empty stare and flat affect were enough to send chills down your spine, but ultimately it restricted what Esposito is capable of as an actor. In Kaleidoscope, he gets to spread his wings, become a fully formed character, and remind all of us that he can be as layered and nuanced as he needs to be. He can even carry a very good show on his shoulders.
Leo Pap Is Gus Fring's Exact Opposite
Esposito's role in Kaleidoscope is the polar opposite of the ruthless drug kingpin we grew accustomed to seeing dating all the way back to 2009. And while we would take Fring over Pap in a stare-down and battle of wills, there is just more to the Pap character than there was with Fring. In the new show, he's a kind and loving husband and father. Even though his work is not exactly legal, his crimes are of the "victimless" variety, where the only ones who get hurt are the insurance companies that have to cover the claim for stolen goods (and no one is crying over that).
He's certainly no saint in either role, but in Kaleidoscope, we get to see a full spectrum of emotions and a multidimensional richness that the talented Italian-African-American thespian has been using to some degree in other roles for over forty years. He's played cops in hit films like 1995's The Usual Suspects, a titan of industry at the multi-billion dollar conglomerate Vought in The Boys (currently streaming on Prime Video), and an impassioned rebel freedom fighter in The Maze Runner movies. He's definitely got the range to do it all on the big screen and in the television vertical, but this is really the first time he's been afforded the spotlight and been able to be front and center driving the vehicle that is the new Netflix heist thriller.
Esposito's Performance Benefits from a New Format
Kaleidoscope is unique in that it doesn't take place in a clear, linear fashion. Each episode is assigned a color (like the colors of a kaleidoscope) and joins the show at various points over the 17 years surrounding the big score. The unusual format allows us to see the 64-year-old actor as a young father with a little girl who he dotes on. We witness him as a more youthful and trusting mentor and friend to other characters like Stan Loomis (Peter Mark Kendall), Roger Salas (Rufus Sewell), and Judy Goodwin (Rosaline Elbay). We even watch Esposito entertain a romantic relationship with his fencer, Ava Mercer (Paz Vega).
All of these relationships give us the pleasure of observing his character offer up a softer and more emotionally available side. There's even a touch of vulnerability and grief that hasn't ever been fleshed out for him before. But perhaps the best thing about Leo Pap, and Esposito's take on the character, is his status as the unquestioned leader of the rag-tag outfit of safecrackers and getaway drivers. He owns this show in a way that we've never seen him afforded in his long and accomplished career, It's not at all surprising that he rises to the occasion.
However, It's Not 'Kaleidoscope' Over 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul'
Just to be clear, this is not an argument positing that Kaleidoscope is a better series than the phenomena of AMC's Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. These were seminal shows that come along once in a generation. What Vince Gilligan was able to bring to the screen for 13 years is perhaps the finest body of small screen work of this century. So rest assured, we haven't lost our marbles or grasp on reality here.
However, the individual character of Leo Pap is a better showcase for Esposito to completely unfurl his wings and show the world that there is more to him than a thousand-mile stare, a diabolical sensibility, and a killer's mentality that the world got to know him for. Netflix has announced that Kaleidoscope will be a limited series, so we're a little bummed that we won't see this iteration of Esposito again, but we would love to see more of the kinder, gentler, and more human version of the actor very soon. (Of course, we'd take another prequel series for Gus Fring from Gilligan and company, but we're not holding our breath on that one.)
Kaleidoscope is currently available to stream on Netflix.