Behold the Best Tweets of the Second Presidential Debate

Well, that was brutal.

Unlike the first presidential debate, which saw nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton standing behind lecterns, tonight’s town hall had a West Wing-walk-and-talk vibe, even if it occasionally seem more like a brawl.

As Anderson Cooper of CNN and Martha Raddatz of ABC relayed questions from the undecided voters in the room, the nominees strolled the stage, answering questions and debating (arguing?) each others’ positions. (Trump's pacing and following of Clinton, in particular, became a constant point of conversation online during the debate.)

Online reaction was similarly free-wheeling. Here’s how it all went down.

Before the debate started, Trump---hoping to deflect attention from comments he made on tape to Access Hollywood host Billy Bush in 2005, in which the GOP candidate said he could grab women “by the pussy”---hosted a Facebook Live video with women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct.

It changed the conversation a little, but one of the most oft-cited facts on Twitter was that Bill Clinton is not a candidate.

Others recalled Trump’s comments about Clinton and the scandals in 1998.

…And then, the debate finally began. Before the candidates even took the stage, folks wondered if Melania Trump would shake Bill Clinton’s hand. (They did; Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump didn’t.)

The anxiety hit Twitter before the debate even started.

Others looked forward to the future.

The candidates took the stage.

After the first question, Cooper asked Trump if he understood that what he was boasting about sexual assault on that tape obtained by the Washington Post. Trump insisted that it was “locker room talk,” then turned his attention to ISIS and strengthening America’s borders. “Nobody has more respect for women than I do,” he said.

After being asked about his 2005 comment a second time, Trump brought up the women accusing Bill Clinton. That did not go over well.

Trump then said, if elected, he’d appoint a special prosecutor to look into Clinton’s emails. Reaction to that fell along predictable lines.

Trump following Clinton around the stage also got a lot of attention:

A woman in the audience asked the two candidates how they would help Muslims deal with being labeled a threat to the nation. Trump said he doesn't favor mass deportations, but "extreme vetting."

You just knew the tax question would come up. Asked about that New York Times report that he used a $916 million loss in 1995 to get out of paying taxes for 18 years, Trump said he did and asked if it wasn’t Clinton’s fault for changing the tax code that allowed him to do so.

With Trump and Clinton talking over each other and regularly running over time, the moderators tried to keep things under control...

Asked about Syria and his running mate's position on Russia, Trump said he and Pence hadn’t spoken and he disagrees with Pence's position. Yes, a presidential candidate undermined his own ticket on national television.

Question-asker Kenneth Bone also drew a lot of love on social media.

Then Trump addressed Twitter and social media directly, talking about his follower counts when asked about his discipline vis-a-vis his "check out sex tape" comments.

The last question drew laughs:

https://twitter.com/MeredithFrost/status/785305989457309697