I think it was more hoping we could dismiss the period as a fever-driven nightmare that wasn’t actually real. The fact he accomplished so little during that time kinda helped the idea that it wasn’t real.

This time around they’re coming in hot & heavy, fully prepared to make the most of their chance to destroy all the checks & balances that have kept them at least somewhat at bay up until now. There’s not only no way to deny the forthcoming reality this time around, there’s just no way to overstate just how real shit’s gonna get.