diff --git a/packages/templating/deftemplate.js b/packages/templating/deftemplate.js
index 5b979af886..f327b2c873 100644
--- a/packages/templating/deftemplate.js
+++ b/packages/templating/deftemplate.js
@@ -54,12 +54,17 @@ Sky._def_template = function (name, raw_func) {
     var in_partial = !!Sky._pending_partials;
     if (!in_partial)
       Sky._pending_partials = {};
-    // XXX should catch exceptions and clean up pending_partials if
-    // stack is unwound
-    var html = raw_func(data, {
-      helpers: name ? Template[name] : {},
-      partials: Sky._partials
-    });
+
+//    try { XXX NOCOMMIT COMMENT???
+      var html = raw_func(data, {
+        helpers: name ? Template[name] : {},
+        partials: Sky._partials
+      });
+/*    } catch (e) {
+      if (!in_partial)
+        Sky._pending_partials = null;
+      throw e;
+    } */
 
     // XXX see the 'clean' function in jquery for a much more
     // elaborate implementation of this. it's smart about
diff --git a/tests/liverange/client/driver.html b/tests/liverange/client/driver.html
index 13bf1c3020..80e47b989e 100644
--- a/tests/liverange/client/driver.html
+++ b/tests/liverange/client/driver.html
@@ -3,13 +3,11 @@
 </head>
 
 <body>
-  placeholder
   {{> results }}
-  placeholder
 </body>
 
 <template name="results">
-  placeholder
+  {{> rerun_all_button }}
   {{#each results}}
     {{#if type_is "begin"}}
       <div class="begin">{{name}}</div>
@@ -25,27 +23,20 @@
       {{/if}}
     {{/if}}
   {{/each}}
-  {{> rerun_all_button }}
-  placeholder
 </template>
 
 <template name="rerun_all_button">
-  placeholder
   <div><div class="rerunall">Rerun all</div></div>
-  placeholder
 </template>
 
 <template name="exception">
-  placeholder
   <div class="exception">Exception: {{message}}
     {{stack}}
     <div class="rerun">Rerun and stop here</div>
   </div>
-  placeholder
 </template>
 
 <template name="fail">
-  placeholder
   {{#if type_is "assert"}}
     <div class="assert">
       {{message}}
@@ -59,7 +50,6 @@
   <span>
     <div class="rerun">Rerun and stop here</a>
   </span>
-  placeholder
 </template>
 
 <template name="test_renderList_each">
diff --git a/tests/liverange/client/driver.js b/tests/liverange/client/driver.js
index 8b56dd90d8..c72a0972c5 100644
--- a/tests/liverange/client/driver.js
+++ b/tests/liverange/client/driver.js
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@ Template.exception.events = {
   }
 };
 
+Template.fail.type_is = function (arg) {
+  return this.type === arg;
+};
+
 Template.fail.events = {
   "click .rerun": function () {
     run_tests(this.cookie);
