Going into the final presidential debate of the year, expectations were mixed. The first debate turned into an interruption-filled mess, the second was canceled, and the third came with a brand-new mute button. As it turns out, actually being able to hear the candidates made for its own set of shocking moments.

"I think we’re all glad that it felt different than the first one," former 2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg told me over the phone the morning after the debate. "Because things were a little more calm, you could really see the difference between the two of them. The exchange on immigration and children being separated from their parents was just one example where you could see real passion for other people and that trademark empathy that drives Joe Biden—and something very different from Donald Trump."