diff --git a/Cakefile b/Cakefile
index 3f3020ef..31aa6586 100644
--- a/Cakefile
+++ b/Cakefile
@@ -200,8 +200,8 @@ runTests = (CoffeeScript) ->
       return no for el, idx in a when not arrayEgal el, b[idx]
       yes
 
-  global.eq      = (a, b, msg) -> ok egal(a, b), msg
-  global.arrayEq = (a, b, msg) -> ok arrayEgal(a,b), msg
+  global.eq      = (a, b, msg) -> ok egal(a, b), msg ? "Expected #{a} to eqaul #{b}"
+  global.arrayEq = (a, b, msg) -> ok arrayEgal(a,b), msg ? "Expected #{a} to deep eqaul #{b}"
 
   # When all the tests have run, collect and print errors.
   # If a stacktrace is available, output the compiled function source.
diff --git a/lib/coffee-script/repl.js b/lib/coffee-script/repl.js
index f3057827..06f7f321 100644
--- a/lib/coffee-script/repl.js
+++ b/lib/coffee-script/repl.js
@@ -14,21 +14,20 @@
     prompt: 'coffee> ',
     "eval": function(input, context, filename, cb) {
       var js;
+      input = input.replace(/\uFF00/g, '\n');
+      input = input.replace(/(^|[\r\n]+)(\s*)##?(?:[^#\r\n][^\r\n]*|)($|[\r\n])/, '$1$2$3');
+      if (/^\s*$/.test(input)) {
+        return cb(null);
+      }
       try {
-        input = input.replace(/\uFF00/g, '\n');
-        input = input.slice(1, -1);
-        input = input.replace(/(^|[\r\n]+)(\s*)##?(?:[^#\r\n][^\r\n]*|)($|[\r\n])/, '$1$2$3');
-        if (/^\s*$/.test(input)) {
-          return cb(null);
-        }
-        js = CoffeeScript.compile("[]=(" + input + "\n)", {
+        js = CoffeeScript.compile("_=(" + input + "\n)", {
           filename: filename,
           bare: true
         });
-        return cb(null, vm.runInContext(js, context, filename));
       } catch (err) {
-        return cb(err);
+        cb(err);
       }
+      return cb(null, vm.runInContext(js, context, filename));
     }
   };
 
@@ -67,7 +66,7 @@
           rli.prompt(true);
           return;
         }
-        if (!((rli.line == null) || rli.line.match(/^\s*$/))) {
+        if ((rli.line != null) && !rli.line.match(/^\s*$/)) {
           return;
         }
         multiline.enabled = !multiline.enabled;
diff --git a/src/repl.coffee b/src/repl.coffee
index df400426..c0855b43 100644
--- a/src/repl.coffee
+++ b/src/repl.coffee
@@ -6,20 +6,18 @@ CoffeeScript = require './coffee-script'
 replDefaults =
   prompt: 'coffee> ',
   eval: (input, context, filename, cb) ->
+    # XXX: multiline hack
+    input = input.replace /\uFF00/g, '\n'
+    # strip single-line comments
+    input = input.replace /(^|[\r\n]+)(\s*)##?(?:[^#\r\n][^\r\n]*|)($|[\r\n])/, '$1$2$3'
+    # empty command
+    return cb null if /^\s*$/.test input
+    # TODO: fix #1829: pass in-scope vars and avoid accidentally shadowing them by omitting those declarations
     try
-      # XXX: multiline hack
-      input = input.replace /\uFF00/g, '\n'
-      # strip node-added parens
-      input = input[1...-1]
-      # strip single-line comments
-      input = input.replace /(^|[\r\n]+)(\s*)##?(?:[^#\r\n][^\r\n]*|)($|[\r\n])/, '$1$2$3'
-      # empty command
-      return cb null if /^\s*$/.test input
-      # TODO: fix #1829: pass in-scope vars and avoid accidentally shadowing them by omitting those declarations
-      js = CoffeeScript.compile "[]=(#{input}\n)", {filename, bare: yes}
-      cb null, vm.runInContext js, context, filename
+      js = CoffeeScript.compile "_=(#{input}\n)", {filename, bare: yes}
     catch err
       cb err
+    cb null, vm.runInContext(js, context, filename)
 
 addMultilineHandler = (repl) ->
   {rli, inputStream, outputStream} = repl
@@ -39,7 +37,7 @@ addMultilineHandler = (repl) ->
       rli.setPrompt multiline.prompt
       rli.prompt true
     else
-      nodeLineListener(cmd)
+      nodeLineListener cmd
     return
 
   # Handle Ctrl-v
@@ -53,7 +51,7 @@ addMultilineHandler = (repl) ->
         rli.prompt true
         return
       # no-op unless the current line is empty
-      return unless not rli.line? or rli.line.match /^\s*$/
+      return if rli.line? and not rli.line.match /^\s*$/
       # eval, print, loop
       multiline.enabled = not multiline.enabled
       rli.line = ''
diff --git a/test/repl.coffee b/test/repl.coffee
index 940651aa..c08dc6c0 100644
--- a/test/repl.coffee
+++ b/test/repl.coffee
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 Stream = require 'stream'
 
 class MockInputStream extends Stream
-  constructor: () ->
+  constructor: ->
     @readable = true
 
   resume: ->
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ class MockInputStream extends Stream
     @emit 'data', new Buffer("#{val}\n")
 
 class MockOutputStream extends Stream
-  constructor: () ->
+  constructor: ->
     @writable = true
     @written = []
 
@@ -20,54 +20,53 @@ class MockOutputStream extends Stream
     #console.log 'output write', arguments
     @written.push data
 
-  lastWrite: (fromEnd=-1) ->
+  lastWrite: (fromEnd = -1) ->
     @written[@written.length - 1 + fromEnd].replace /\n$/, ''
 
-testRepl = (desc, fn) ->
-  input = new MockInputStream()
-  output = new MockOutputStream()
-  Repl.start {input, output}
-  fn input, output
 
-assertEqual = (expected, value) ->
-  eq expected, value, "Expected '#{value}' to equal '#{expected}'"
+testRepl = (desc, fn) ->
+  input = new MockInputStream
+  output = new MockOutputStream
+  Repl.start {input, output}
+  test desc, -> fn input, output
+
+ctrlV = { ctrl: true, name: 'v'}
 
 
 testRepl "starts with coffee prompt", (input, output) ->
-  assertEqual 'coffee> ', output.lastWrite(0)
+  eq 'coffee> ', output.lastWrite(0)
 
 testRepl "writes eval to output", (input, output) ->
   input.emitLine '1+1'
-  assertEqual '2', output.lastWrite()
+  eq '2', output.lastWrite()
 
 testRepl "comments are ignored", (input, output) ->
   input.emitLine '1 + 1 #foo'
-  assertEqual '2', output.lastWrite()
+  eq '2', output.lastWrite()
 
 testRepl "output in inspect mode", (input, output) ->
   input.emitLine '"1 + 1\\n"'
-  assertEqual "'1 + 1\\n'", output.lastWrite()
+  eq "'1 + 1\\n'", output.lastWrite()
 
 testRepl "variables are saved", (input, output) ->
   input.emitLine "foo = 'foo'"
   input.emitLine 'foobar = "#{foo}bar"'
-  assertEqual "'foobar'", output.lastWrite()
+  eq "'foobar'", output.lastWrite()
 
 testRepl "empty command evaluates to undefined", (input, output) ->
   input.emitLine ''
-  assertEqual 'undefined', output.lastWrite()
+  eq 'undefined', output.lastWrite()
 
-ctrlV = { ctrl: true, name: 'v'}
 testRepl "ctrl-v toggles multiline prompt", (input, output) ->
   input.emit 'keypress', null, ctrlV
-  assertEqual '------> ', output.lastWrite(0)
+  eq '------> ', output.lastWrite(0)
   input.emit 'keypress', null, ctrlV
-  assertEqual 'coffee> ', output.lastWrite(0)
+  eq 'coffee> ', output.lastWrite(0)
 
 testRepl "multiline continuation changes prompt", (input, output) ->
   input.emit 'keypress', null, ctrlV
   input.emitLine ''
-  assertEqual '....... ', output.lastWrite(0)
+  eq '....... ', output.lastWrite(0)
 
 testRepl "evaluates multiline", (input, output) ->
   # Stubs. Could assert on their use.
@@ -75,8 +74,7 @@ testRepl "evaluates multiline", (input, output) ->
   output.clearLine = ->
 
   input.emit 'keypress', null, ctrlV
-  input.emitLine '(->'
+  input.emitLine 'do ->'
   input.emitLine '  1 + 1'
-  input.emitLine ')()'
   input.emit 'keypress', null, ctrlV
-  assertEqual '2', output.lastWrite()
+  eq '2', output.lastWrite()