diff --git a/lib/change_detection/watch_group.dart b/lib/change_detection/watch_group.dart
index 49e3e7360..f7bc83a3b 100644
--- a/lib/change_detection/watch_group.dart
+++ b/lib/change_detection/watch_group.dart
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ class WatchGroup implements _EvalWatchList, _WatchGroupList {
   final ChangeDetectorGroup<_Handler> _changeDetector;
   /** A cache for sharing sub expression watching. Watching `a` and `a.b` will
   * watch `a` only once. */
-  final Map<String, WatchRecord<_Handler>> _cache;
   final RootWatchGroup _rootGroup;
 
   /// STATS: Number of field watchers which are in use.
@@ -108,7 +107,7 @@ class WatchGroup implements _EvalWatchList, _WatchGroupList {
   WatchGroup _prevWatchGroup, _nextWatchGroup;
 
   WatchGroup._child(_parentWatchGroup, this._changeDetector, this.context,
-                    this._cache, this._rootGroup)
+                    this._rootGroup)
       : _parentWatchGroup = _parentWatchGroup,
         id = '${_parentWatchGroup.id}.${_parentWatchGroup._nextChildId++}'
   {
@@ -119,8 +118,7 @@ class WatchGroup implements _EvalWatchList, _WatchGroupList {
   WatchGroup._root(this._changeDetector, this.context)
       : id = '',
         _rootGroup = null,
-        _parentWatchGroup = null,
-        _cache = new HashMap<String, WatchRecord<_Handler>>()
+        _parentWatchGroup = null
   {
     _marker.watchGrp = this;
     _evalWatchTail = _evalWatchHead = _marker;
@@ -139,10 +137,7 @@ class WatchGroup implements _EvalWatchList, _WatchGroupList {
   }
 
   Watch watch(AST expression, ReactionFn reactionFn) {
-    WatchRecord<_Handler> watchRecord = _cache[expression.expression];
-    if (watchRecord == null) {
-      _cache[expression.expression] = watchRecord = expression.setupWatch(this);
-    }
+    WatchRecord<_Handler> watchRecord = expression.setupWatch(this);
     return watchRecord.handler.addReactionFn(reactionFn);
   }
 
@@ -161,10 +156,7 @@ class WatchGroup implements _EvalWatchList, _WatchGroupList {
     _fieldCost++;
     fieldHandler.watchRecord = watchRecord;
 
-    WatchRecord<_Handler> lhsWR = _cache[lhs.expression];
-    if (lhsWR == null) {
-      lhsWR = _cache[lhs.expression] = lhs.setupWatch(this);
-    }
+    WatchRecord<_Handler> lhsWR = lhs.setupWatch(this);
 
     // We set a field forwarding handler on LHS. This will allow the change
     // objects to propagate to the current WatchRecord.
@@ -180,10 +172,7 @@ class WatchGroup implements _EvalWatchList, _WatchGroupList {
     var watchRecord = _changeDetector.watch(null, null, collectionHandler);
     _collectionCost++;
     collectionHandler.watchRecord = watchRecord;
-    WatchRecord<_Handler> astWR = _cache[ast.expression];
-    if (astWR == null) {
-      astWR = _cache[ast.expression] = ast.setupWatch(this);
-    }
+    WatchRecord<_Handler> astWR = ast.setupWatch(this);
 
     // We set a field forwarding handler on LHS. This will allow the change
     // objects to propagate to the current WatchRecord.
@@ -234,10 +223,7 @@ class WatchGroup implements _EvalWatchList, _WatchGroupList {
     invokeHandler.watchRecord = evalWatchRecord;
 
     if (lhsAST != null) {
-      var lhsWR = _cache[lhsAST.expression];
-      if (lhsWR == null) {
-        lhsWR = _cache[lhsAST.expression] = lhsAST.setupWatch(this);
-      }
+      var lhsWR = lhsAST.setupWatch(this);
       lhsWR.handler.addForwardHandler(invokeHandler);
       invokeHandler.acceptValue(lhsWR.currentValue);
     }
@@ -245,10 +231,7 @@ class WatchGroup implements _EvalWatchList, _WatchGroupList {
     // Convert the args from AST to WatchRecords
     for (var i = 0; i < argsAST.length; i++) {
       var ast = argsAST[i];
-      WatchRecord<_Handler> record = _cache[ast.expression];
-      if (record == null) {
-        record = _cache[ast.expression] = ast.setupWatch(this);
-      }
+      WatchRecord<_Handler> record = ast.setupWatch(this);
       _ArgHandler handler = new _PositionalArgHandler(this, evalWatchRecord, i);
       _ArgHandlerList._add(invokeHandler, handler);
       record.handler.addForwardHandler(handler);
@@ -256,10 +239,7 @@ class WatchGroup implements _EvalWatchList, _WatchGroupList {
     }
 
     namedArgsAST.forEach((Symbol name, AST ast) {
-      WatchRecord<_Handler> record = _cache[ast.expression];
-      if (record == null) {
-        record = _cache[ast.expression] = ast.setupWatch(this);
-      }
+      WatchRecord<_Handler> record = ast.setupWatch(this);
       _ArgHandler handler = new _NamedArgHandler(this, evalWatchRecord, name);
       _ArgHandlerList._add(invokeHandler, handler);
       record.handler.addForwardHandler(handler);
@@ -301,7 +281,6 @@ class WatchGroup implements _EvalWatchList, _WatchGroupList {
         this,
         _changeDetector.newGroup(),
         context == null ? this.context : context,
-        new HashMap<String, WatchRecord<_Handler>>(),
         _rootGroup == null ? this : _rootGroup);
     _WatchGroupList._add(this, childGroup);
     var marker = childGroup._marker;
@@ -581,7 +560,6 @@ abstract class _Handler implements _LinkedList, _LinkedListItem, _WatchList {
       _releaseWatch();
       // Remove ourselves from cache, or else new registrations will go to us,
       // but we are dead
-      watchGrp._cache.remove(expression);
 
       if (forwardingHandler != null) {
         // TODO(misko): why do we need this check?
diff --git a/lib/core_dom/common.dart b/lib/core_dom/common.dart
index 1dc25fd04..f97b9d3ea 100644
--- a/lib/core_dom/common.dart
+++ b/lib/core_dom/common.dart
@@ -1,6 +1,13 @@
 part of angular.core.dom_internal;
 
-List<dom.Node> cloneElements(elements) => elements.map((el) => el.clone(true)).toList();
+List<dom.Node> cloneElements(List<dom.Node> elements) {
+  int length = elements.length;
+  var clones = new List<dom.Node>(length);
+  for(var i=0; i < length; i++) {
+    clones[i] = elements[i].clone(true);
+  }
+  return clones;
+}
 
 class MappingParts {
   final String attrName;
diff --git a/lib/core_dom/node_cursor.dart b/lib/core_dom/node_cursor.dart
index ae71a7252..ef7523097 100644
--- a/lib/core_dom/node_cursor.dart
+++ b/lib/core_dom/node_cursor.dart
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ part of angular.core.dom_internal;
 
 class NodeCursor {
   final stack = [];
-  List<dom.Node> elements;
+  List<dom.Node> elements;  // may be a fixed length list.
   int index = 0;
 
   NodeCursor(this.elements);
@@ -29,21 +29,15 @@ class NodeCursor {
     index = stack.removeLast();
   }
 
-  void insertAnchorBefore(String name) {
-    var parent = current.parentNode;
-    var anchor = new dom.Comment('ANCHOR: $name');
-    elements.insert(index++, anchor);
-    if (parent != null) parent.insertBefore(anchor, current);
-  }
-
   NodeCursor replaceWithAnchor(String name) {
-    insertAnchorBefore(name);
-    var childCursor = remove();
-    index--;
-    return childCursor;
+    var element = current;
+    var parent = element.parentNode;
+    var anchor = new dom.Comment('ANCHOR: $name');
+    if (parent != null) parent.insertBefore(anchor, element);
+    element.remove();
+    elements[index] = anchor;
+    return new NodeCursor([element]);
   }
 
-  NodeCursor remove() => new NodeCursor([elements.removeAt(index)..remove()]);
-
   String toString() => "[NodeCursor: $elements $index]";
 }
diff --git a/lib/directive/ng_repeat.dart b/lib/directive/ng_repeat.dart
index 6bf161776..6597ebf8e 100644
--- a/lib/directive/ng_repeat.dart
+++ b/lib/directive/ng_repeat.dart
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ class _Row {
   View view;
   dom.Element startNode;
   dom.Element endNode;
-  List<dom.Element> nodes;
+  List<dom.Node> nodes;
 
   _Row(this.id);
 }
diff --git a/test/change_detection/watch_group_spec.dart b/test/change_detection/watch_group_spec.dart
index 07df50859..1ce67fe69 100644
--- a/test/change_detection/watch_group_spec.dart
+++ b/test/change_detection/watch_group_spec.dart
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ void main() {
         var watch = watchGrp.watch(parse('user'), (v, p) => logger(v));
         var watchFirst = watchGrp.watch(parse('user.first'), (v, p) => logger(v));
         var watchLast = watchGrp.watch(parse('user.last'), (v, p) => logger(v));
-        expect(watchGrp.fieldCost).toEqual(3);
+        expect(watchGrp.fieldCost).toEqual(5);
 
         watchGrp.detectChanges();
         expect(logger).toEqual([user1, 'misko', 'hevery']);
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ void main() {
 
 
         watch.remove();
-        expect(watchGrp.fieldCost).toEqual(3);
+        expect(watchGrp.fieldCost).toEqual(4);
 
         watchFirst.remove();
         expect(watchGrp.fieldCost).toEqual(2);
@@ -863,8 +863,8 @@ void main() {
         expect(watchGrp.detectChanges()).toEqual(6);
         // expect(logger).toEqual(['0a', '0A', '1a', '1A', '2A', '1b']);
         expect(logger).toEqual(['0a', '1a', '1b', '0A', '1A', '2A']); // we go by registration order
-        expect(watchGrp.fieldCost).toEqual(1);
-        expect(watchGrp.totalFieldCost).toEqual(4);
+        expect(watchGrp.fieldCost).toEqual(2);
+        expect(watchGrp.totalFieldCost).toEqual(6);
         logger.clear();
 
         context['a'] = 1;
@@ -876,8 +876,8 @@ void main() {
         child1a.remove(); // should also remove child2
         expect(watchGrp.detectChanges()).toEqual(3);
         expect(logger).toEqual(['0a', '0A', '1b']);
-        expect(watchGrp.fieldCost).toEqual(1);
-        expect(watchGrp.totalFieldCost).toEqual(2);
+        expect(watchGrp.fieldCost).toEqual(2);
+        expect(watchGrp.totalFieldCost).toEqual(3);
       });
 
       it('should remove all method watches in group and group\'s children', () {