Most of us probably see this the way your comment reads, and therein lies danger: we expect Hillary to be almost dead and Trump to be high energy. What if she is not?
Hillary knows the stakes, and is a willful beast. She will do anything to pump herself up — transfusions, fluids, stimulants, sheer willpower — even if it kills her later. The plan will be to deliver at least a few minutes of good video. Playing her highlights and Trump’s lowlights in a loop, the media will declare her the Comeback Kid, with all the momentum, etc. If Trump defends himself or does well, the story will be how he brutalized a poor sick woman, like the crass barbarian he is.
I rather the expectation be that Hillary will come out like Mike Tyson in his prime (a serious and articulate version), spouting statistics and touting her experience, while baiting Trump into precipitous comments the media can hype. To win, she needs to show sustained high energy and mop the floor with Trump. After all, he’s never even claimed to be much of a debater, and she’s the smartest woman in the world...
excellent points.