If it was up to me, no one who didn't deserve it would be locked up again. [ He rolls his eyes at himself, knowing how naive that sounds, but he means it, or thinks he does. There's a nuance to it, of course; he deserved it when he got angry and got in drunken altercations back in the day. But he doesn't believe he deserved being locked up by Hartman, and so he also believes that Elizabeth doesn't deserve such a thing either. ]

Well, reality is a lot more bendable than people think it is. That's how it seems, anyway. [ He might be the one making things happen, or nudging them along, but he hardly claims to be an expert about any of this. ] My recommendation? Get a record player. It sounds better.

[ He sees her expression change, and he figures then that she's caught on. She's worked out what's happening here. Is that a good thing? Who knows? ]

If it produces art, you're an artist. [ But he thinks he's catching on too, and so he asks, slowly as if he's worried about how she might react: ] But I'm guessing that's not all you can do. That's not the limit of what you can do, is it?

[ What is it about people who can do things being pushed together? Alan wonders that question to himself, and then he wonders another thing: is it coincidence that he keeps meeting people who can make things happen? ]