In Episode 2, Reclaiming Democracy, David Pepper, the author of Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines, provides a stark wake-up call for the steps he believes are necessary to move from a competitive autocracy back to a democracy. Pepper insists that reclaiming our democracy requires a sustained and persistent effort at the local, state, and federal levels. With a view to the future, he highlights the steps he believes are necessary to defend democracy.