#this is why when people portray the dynamic as oj being annoyed I'm like ...but no.

[keefechambers]

thinking about how OJ definitely watched UFO videos in his spare time well before Jean Jacket.

thinking about how he actually started talking to Angel (as much as he talks) because Angel just softly said "you know they don't call them UFOs anymore"

of course Em understands and believes him when he sees something. but the fact that this weird jerk just quietly validates him without knowing anything about it (before bursting into an unhinged rant) is important too.

it's a miniscule detail but it defines their relationship for the whole movie. Angel gets OJ. he figures out their plan immediately. Angel's coworker asks about OJ, not Em, despite her being the one he was talking to. OJ looks at him, not the sky, when he comes back and shows them the cloud and he and OJ are on the same page about it not being enough. he's the one who nixes "use horses as bait" plan on the siblings' behalf. he's the one who asks if they can help people and OJ is the person he looks to when he does. Angel possibly dying because of Holst is the most shaken OJ gets (after Star Lasso) until Jean Jacket almost gets Em a couple minutes later.

it's a tiny microcosm of being seen. the emotional crux of the movie hinges on who sees us and how: consumed as a spectacle for entertainment or seen by the people who value and love us.

Angel sees OJ and that matters because it's clear not that many people do.