aqueous solutions

I don't understand.

There's this chemical reaction in my lab manual that's making me question my uncerstanding of aqueous solutions. I don't know how the fuck to super/subscript on here, so let ^(x) mean a superscript and v(x) mean a subscript. Here it is:

    2Cu^(2+) (aq) + 4I^(-) (aq) --> 2CuI (s) + Iv(2) (aq)

The manual tells me that the solid copper iodide is white and the diatomic iodine is brown. The reactants are both colorless. What I don't understand is how the reactant iodine ion is different from the diatomic iodine product. I thought that any molecule dissolved in water WAS broken down into ions.

I thought that NaCl (aq) meant that there are Na+ ions and Cl- ions in the solution and that Na's electrons weren't interacting with Cl's electrons like they do when they're solid out of water.

So why is the product iodine brown when it is still aqueous? Please please please help me. It's seemingly impossible to google search this shit.

I thought that any molecule dissolved in water WAS broken down into ions.

Take a look at sucrose.  It is completely dissolved, but non-ionic.   The same can be said for I2.  Salts, however, do form ions.

I thought that NaCl (aq) meant that there are Na+ ions and Cl- ions in the solution and that Na's electrons weren't interacting with Cl's electrons like they do when they're solid out of water.

You are correct.   When the concentration of salt is low relative to the concentration of water, the Na+ and Cl- do not interact with one another to any appreciable degree.  They are surrounded by a shell of water molecules that make ionic/dipole interactions.  (As you increase [NaCl], then the ions start to interact with each other more as you might imagine.  You can google "ionic strength of a soultion" to read more about that)

So why is the product iodine brown when it is still aqueous?
Draw out pictures of the reactant IODIDE and the product IODINE.  What is different about the structure, and the formal charge on each atom?

Oh, and also the nature of the bonds between CuI2 and between I-I.