What just happened in St. Louis?

The pre-debate analysis predicted a disaster. The pundits said Donald J. Trump was going to steer the debate into the gutter in response to that hideous video recording in which he bragged about being able to commit sexual assault on women.

That discussion occurred only briefly.

Trump and Hillary Rodham Clinton seemed a bit on edge tonight.

Two big takeaways …

First, Trump, the Republican nominee for president, disagrees with his running mate Mike Pence that the United States needs to punish Russia for its continued bombing of rebels seeking to topple the Syrian government of Bashar al Assad.

Second, Trump vowed to put Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in jail over the e-mail controversy if he gets elected president. I do not believe that’s ever been stated quite like that in a debate between two major-party nominees for the presidency.

OK, maybe a third takeaway.

The sex-related rhetorical bloodbath that all those pundits said would occur … didn’t happen.

Do you remember when the presidential debate commission scheduled the joint appearances with Hillary Rodham Clinton and Donald J. Trump?

Trump, the Republican nominee, bitched about the effort to keep viewership down. The commission put the debates at the same time as professional football games, which also were being televised. It became part of Trump’s mantra that the election would be “rigged.”

The audience for the first debate topped 80 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched TV events in history.

The audience for the next one, which is about to occur, well might exceed the first event.

How come? Donald Trump’s videotaped remarks about having sex with a married woman, how he wanted to grab one by her private parts and how his “star” status enabled him to have his way with women.

The reaction has been ferocious — from Republicans!

Yes indeed,, the audience for tonight will — to borrow a phrase — be h–u-u-u-g-e!

I have no idea what the public opinion polls are going to do in the wake of what has just ended at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

But what I saw — and I’ll admit my bias up front — is a serious manhandling of Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump by his Democratic opponent, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Trump lost control of himself. He became, quite literally, incoherent as he talked about whether he supported or opposed the Iraq War, or about nuclear policy, or why he continued to promote the birther argument that Barack Obama isn’t a U.S. citizen.

Clinton? She was in control the entire way.

My favorite answer came to Trump’s assertion — which evaded the question from moderator Lester Holt — that Clinton lacked the “stamina” to be president. Her response was to suggest that if Trump can travel to 112 countries and subject himself to 11 hours of congressional testimony — as she had done — then he could talk about stamina.

This first encounter was testy in the extreme. My guess is that the next two of them are going to become progressively more so.

Bring out the brass knuckles.