diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/view_compiler_next/view_compiler.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/view_compiler_next/view_compiler.ts
index 6a8637b3ca..fcc6d6f141 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/view_compiler_next/view_compiler.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/view_compiler_next/view_compiler.ts
@@ -92,8 +92,9 @@ const ALLOW_DEFAULT_VAR = o.variable(`allowDefault`);
 class ViewBuilder implements TemplateAstVisitor, LocalResolver, BuiltinConverterFactory {
   private compType: o.Type;
   private nodeDefs: (() => o.Expression)[] = [];
-  private purePipeNodeIndices: {[pipeName: string]: number} = {};
-  private refNodeIndices: {[refName: string]: number} = {};
+  private purePipeNodeIndices: {[pipeName: string]: number} = Object.create(null);
+  // Need Object.create so that we don't have builtin values...
+  private refNodeIndices: {[refName: string]: number} = Object.create(null);
   private variables: VariableAst[] = [];
   private children: ViewBuilder[] = [];
   private updateDirectivesExpressions: UpdateExpression[] = [];
@@ -929,7 +930,7 @@ function elementBindingDefs(
 
 
 function fixedAttrsDef(elementAst: ElementAst): o.Expression {
-  const mapResult: {[key: string]: string} = {};
+  const mapResult: {[key: string]: string} = Object.create(null);
   elementAst.attrs.forEach(attrAst => { mapResult[attrAst.name] = attrAst.value; });
   elementAst.directives.forEach(dirAst => {
     Object.keys(dirAst.directive.hostAttributes).forEach(name => {
diff --git a/modules/@angular/core/src/view/refs.ts b/modules/@angular/core/src/view/refs.ts
index 4b3aa4ac39..d1b15f5494 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/core/src/view/refs.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/core/src/view/refs.ts
@@ -232,8 +232,8 @@ export function createTemplateRef(view: ViewData, def: NodeDef): TemplateRef<any
   return new TemplateRef_(view, def);
 }
 
-class TemplateRef_ implements TemplateRef<any> {
-  constructor(private _parentView: ViewData, private _def: NodeDef) {}
+class TemplateRef_ extends TemplateRef<any> {
+  constructor(private _parentView: ViewData, private _def: NodeDef) { super(); }
 
   createEmbeddedView(context: any): EmbeddedViewRef<any> {
     return new ViewRef_(Services.createEmbeddedView(this._parentView, this._def, context));
diff --git a/modules/@angular/core/src/view/services.ts b/modules/@angular/core/src/view/services.ts
index f0b4c730a0..c767d3d4c0 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/core/src/view/services.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/core/src/view/services.ts
@@ -243,7 +243,12 @@ function debugCheckAndUpdateNode(
       } else {
         // a regular element.
         for (let attr in bindingValues) {
-          view.renderer.setAttribute(el, attr, bindingValues[attr]);
+          const value = bindingValues[attr];
+          if (value != null) {
+            view.renderer.setAttribute(el, attr, value);
+          } else {
+            view.renderer.removeAttribute(el, attr);
+          }
         }
       }
     }
@@ -270,7 +275,7 @@ function camelCaseToDashCase(input: string): string {
 function normalizeDebugBindingValue(value: any): string {
   try {
     // Limit the size of the value as otherwise the DOM just gets polluted.
-    return value ? value.toString().slice(0, 20) : value;
+    return value ? value.toString().slice(0, 30) : value;
   } catch (e) {
     return '[ERROR] Exception while trying to serialize the value';
   }
diff --git a/modules/@angular/core/src/view/util.ts b/modules/@angular/core/src/view/util.ts
index b940ac653e..be17704426 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/core/src/view/util.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/core/src/view/util.ts
@@ -176,11 +176,10 @@ export function splitMatchedQueriesDsl(matchedQueriesDsl: [string | number, Quer
 export function getParentRenderElement(view: ViewData, renderHost: any, def: NodeDef): any {
   let renderParent = def.renderParent;
   if (renderParent) {
-    const parent = def.parent;
-    if (parent &&
-        (parent.type !== NodeType.Element || (parent.flags & NodeFlags.HasComponent) === 0 ||
-         (parent.element.componentRendererType &&
-          parent.element.componentRendererType.encapsulation === ViewEncapsulation.Native))) {
+    if (renderParent.type !== NodeType.Element ||
+        (renderParent.flags & NodeFlags.HasComponent) === 0 ||
+        (renderParent.element.componentRendererType &&
+         renderParent.element.componentRendererType.encapsulation === ViewEncapsulation.Native)) {
       // only children of non components, or children of components with native encapsulation should
       // be attached.
       return asElementData(view, def.renderParent.index).renderElement;