diff --git a/client/app/scripts/charts/edge-container.js b/client/app/scripts/charts/edge-container.js
index ac1db00a0..8253ec536 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/charts/edge-container.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/charts/edge-container.js
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import React from 'react';
-import { connect } from 'react-redux';
 import { Motion, spring } from 'react-motion';
 import { Map as makeMap } from 'immutable';
 import { line, curveBasis } from 'd3-shape';
@@ -37,7 +36,7 @@ const waypointsMapToArray = (waypointsMap) => {
 };
 
 
-class EdgeContainer extends React.PureComponent {
+export default class EdgeContainer extends React.PureComponent {
   constructor(props, context) {
     super(props, context);
     this.state = { waypointsMap: makeMap() };
@@ -102,5 +101,3 @@ class EdgeContainer extends React.PureComponent {
     this.setState({ waypointsMap });
   }
 }
-
-export default connect()(EdgeContainer);
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/charts/node-container.js b/client/app/scripts/charts/node-container.js
index ca4ba8d65..9b36c57c8 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/charts/node-container.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/charts/node-container.js
@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import { omit } from 'lodash';
-import { connect } from 'react-redux';
 import { Motion, spring } from 'react-motion';
 
 import { NODES_SPRING_ANIMATION_CONFIG } from '../constants/animation';
-import { NODE_BLUR_OPACITY } from '../constants/styles';
+import { isContrastMode } from '../utils/contrast-utils';
 import Node from './node';
 
+
+const nodeBlurOpacity = isContrastMode() ? 0.6 : 0.25;
+
 const transformedNode = (otherProps, { x, y, k, opacity }) => (
   // NOTE: Controlling blurring and transform from here seems to re-render
   // faster than adding a CSS class and controlling it from there.
@@ -15,11 +17,11 @@ const transformedNode = (otherProps, { x, y, k, opacity }) => (
   </g>
 );
 
-class NodeContainer extends React.PureComponent {
+export default class NodeContainer extends React.PureComponent {
   render() {
     const { dx, dy, isAnimated, scale, blurred } = this.props;
     const forwardedProps = omit(this.props, 'dx', 'dy', 'isAnimated', 'scale', 'blurred');
-    const opacity = blurred ? NODE_BLUR_OPACITY : 1;
+    const opacity = blurred ? nodeBlurOpacity : 1;
 
     if (!isAnimated) {
       // Show static node for optimized rendering
@@ -40,5 +42,3 @@ class NodeContainer extends React.PureComponent {
     );
   }
 }
-
-export default connect()(NodeContainer);
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/charts/node.js b/client/app/scripts/charts/node.js
index accbf6058..3252a7133 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/charts/node.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/charts/node.js
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ function getNodeShape({ shape, stack }) {
 }
 
 
-class Node extends React.PureComponent {
+class Node extends React.Component {
   constructor(props, context) {
     super(props, context);
     this.state = {
@@ -93,8 +93,8 @@ class Node extends React.PureComponent {
   }
 
   render() {
-    const { focused, highlighted, networks, pseudo, rank, label,
-      transform, exportingGraph, showingNetworks, stack, id, metric } = this.props;
+    const { focused, highlighted, networks, pseudo, rank, label, transform,
+      exportingGraph, showingNetworks, stack, id, metric, matches = makeMap() } = this.props;
     const { hovered } = this.state;
 
     const color = getNodeColor(rank, label, pseudo);
@@ -102,6 +102,9 @@ class Node extends React.PureComponent {
     const labelOffsetY = (showingNetworks && networks) ? 40 : 28;
 
     const nodeClassName = classnames('node', {
+      // NOTE: Having a CSS animation here might not be the best idea.
+      // See https://github.com/weaveworks/scope/issues/2255
+      matched: !matches.isEmpty(),
       highlighted,
       hovered,
       pseudo
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart-elements.js b/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart-elements.js
index 728ce4448..fdd65823a 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart-elements.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart-elements.js
@@ -1,25 +1,22 @@
 import React from 'react';
-import { connect } from 'react-redux';
 
 import NodesChartEdges from './nodes-chart-edges';
 import NodesChartNodes from './nodes-chart-nodes';
 
-class NodesChartElements extends React.Component {
+export default class NodesChartElements extends React.PureComponent {
   render() {
-    const props = this.props;
+    const { transform, layoutEdges, layoutNodes, selectedScale, isAnimated } = this.props;
     return (
-      <g className="nodes-chart-elements" transform={props.transform}>
+      <g className="nodes-chart-elements" transform={transform}>
         <NodesChartEdges
-          layoutEdges={props.layoutEdges}
-          selectedScale={props.selectedScale}
-          isAnimated={props.isAnimated} />
+          layoutEdges={layoutEdges}
+          selectedScale={selectedScale}
+          isAnimated={isAnimated} />
         <NodesChartNodes
-          layoutNodes={props.layoutNodes}
-          selectedScale={props.selectedScale}
-          isAnimated={props.isAnimated} />
+          layoutNodes={layoutNodes}
+          selectedScale={selectedScale}
+          isAnimated={isAnimated} />
       </g>
     );
   }
 }
-
-export default connect()(NodesChartElements);
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart.js b/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart.js
index 9c4898110..2c9288b0c 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart.js
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import { layoutWithSelectedNode } from '../selectors/nodes-chart-focus';
 import { graphLayout } from '../selectors/nodes-chart-layout';
 
 
-const GRAPH_COMPLEXITY_NODES_TRESHOLD = 150;
+const GRAPH_COMPLEXITY_NODES_TRESHOLD = 100;
 const ZOOM_CACHE_FIELDS = [
   'panTranslateX', 'panTranslateY',
   'zoomScale', 'minZoomScale', 'maxZoomScale'
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/components/matched-results.js b/client/app/scripts/components/matched-results.js
index ef1a170f3..295d9820f 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/components/matched-results.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/components/matched-results.js
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import React from 'react';
-import { connect } from 'react-redux';
 
 import MatchedText from './matched-text';
 
@@ -21,7 +20,7 @@ const Match = match => (
   </div>
 );
 
-class MatchedResults extends React.Component {
+export default class MatchedResults extends React.PureComponent {
   render() {
     const { matches, style } = this.props;
 
@@ -49,5 +48,3 @@ class MatchedResults extends React.Component {
     );
   }
 }
-
-export default connect()(MatchedResults);
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/components/matched-text.js b/client/app/scripts/components/matched-text.js
index 7aaa07d49..e1e91cd0c 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/components/matched-text.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/components/matched-text.js
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import React from 'react';
-import { connect } from 'react-redux';
 
 const TRUNCATE_CONTEXT = 6;
 const TRUNCATE_ELLIPSIS = '…';
@@ -79,8 +78,7 @@ function truncateChunks(chunks, text, maxLength) {
  * `match` is a text match object of shape `{start, length}`
  * that delimit text matches in `text`. `label` shows the origin of the text.
  */
-class MatchedText extends React.Component {
-
+export default class MatchedText extends React.PureComponent {
   render() {
     const { match, text, truncate, maxLength } = this.props;
 
@@ -109,5 +107,3 @@ class MatchedText extends React.Component {
     );
   }
 }
-
-export default connect()(MatchedText);
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/components/node-details/node-details-control-button.js b/client/app/scripts/components/node-details/node-details-control-button.js
index 36c414ae6..1c01c96aa 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/components/node-details/node-details-control-button.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/components/node-details/node-details-control-button.js
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 import React from 'react';
-import { connect } from 'react-redux';
 
 import { doControl } from '../../actions/app-actions';
 
-class NodeDetailsControlButton extends React.Component {
+export default class NodeDetailsControlButton extends React.PureComponent {
   constructor(props, context) {
     super(props, context);
     this.handleClick = this.handleClick.bind(this);
@@ -24,5 +23,3 @@ class NodeDetailsControlButton extends React.Component {
     this.props.dispatch(doControl(this.props.nodeId, this.props.control));
   }
 }
-
-export default connect()(NodeDetailsControlButton);
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/components/node-details/node-details-relatives-link.js b/client/app/scripts/components/node-details/node-details-relatives-link.js
index 30d254a60..587cd228f 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/components/node-details/node-details-relatives-link.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/components/node-details/node-details-relatives-link.js
@@ -1,11 +1,9 @@
 import React from 'react';
-import { connect } from 'react-redux';
 
 import { clickRelative } from '../../actions/app-actions';
 import MatchedText from '../matched-text';
 
-class NodeDetailsRelativesLink extends React.Component {
-
+export default class NodeDetailsRelativesLink extends React.PureComponent {
   constructor(props, context) {
     super(props, context);
     this.handleClick = this.handleClick.bind(this);
@@ -37,5 +35,3 @@ class NodeDetailsRelativesLink extends React.Component {
     );
   }
 }
-
-export default connect()(NodeDetailsRelativesLink);
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/components/node-details/node-details-table-node-link.js b/client/app/scripts/components/node-details/node-details-table-node-link.js
index 3eef941ef..d2b87441d 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/components/node-details/node-details-table-node-link.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/components/node-details/node-details-table-node-link.js
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 import React from 'react';
-import { connect } from 'react-redux';
 
 import { clickRelative } from '../../actions/app-actions';
 
-class NodeDetailsTableNodeLink extends React.Component {
-
+export default class NodeDetailsTableNodeLink extends React.PureComponent {
   constructor(props, context) {
     super(props, context);
     this.handleClick = this.handleClick.bind(this);
@@ -45,5 +43,3 @@ class NodeDetailsTableNodeLink extends React.Component {
     );
   }
 }
-
-export default connect()(NodeDetailsTableNodeLink);
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/components/show-more.js b/client/app/scripts/components/show-more.js
index 5578cf5ff..e22f97abc 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/components/show-more.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/components/show-more.js
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 import React from 'react';
-import { connect } from 'react-redux';
-
-class ShowMore extends React.Component {
 
+export default class ShowMore extends React.PureComponent {
   constructor(props, context) {
     super(props, context);
     this.handleClick = this.handleClick.bind(this);
@@ -29,5 +27,3 @@ class ShowMore extends React.Component {
     );
   }
 }
-
-export default connect()(ShowMore);
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/constants/styles.js b/client/app/scripts/constants/styles.js
index 3a68e0564..361afcd56 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/constants/styles.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/constants/styles.js
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ export const NODE_SHAPE_HIGHLIGHT_RADIUS = 70;
 export const NODE_SHAPE_BORDER_RADIUS = 50;
 export const NODE_SHAPE_SHADOW_RADIUS = 45;
 export const NODE_SHAPE_DOT_RADIUS = 10;
-export const NODE_BLUR_OPACITY = 0.2;
 // NOTE: This value represents the node unit radius (in pixels). Since zooming is
 // controlled at the top level now, this renormalization would be obsolete (i.e.
 // value 1 could be used instead), if it wasn't for the following factors:
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/reducers/root.js b/client/app/scripts/reducers/root.js
index be34fc7be..0f499c394 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/reducers/root.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/reducers/root.js
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ export const initialState = makeMap({
   gridMode: false,
   gridSortedBy: null,
   gridSortedDesc: null,
+  // TODO: Calculate these sets from selectors instead.
   highlightedEdgeIds: makeSet(),
   highlightedNodeIds: makeSet(),
   hostname: '...',
@@ -560,6 +561,9 @@ export function rootReducer(state = initialState, action) {
       // update existing nodes
       each(action.delta.update, (node) => {
         if (state.hasIn(['nodes', node.id])) {
+          // TODO: Implement a manual deep update here, as it might bring a great benefit
+          // to our nodes selectors (e.g. layout engine would be completely bypassed if the
+          // adjacencies would stay the same but the metrics would get updated).
           state = state.setIn(['nodes', node.id], fromJS(node));
         }
       });
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/selectors/nodes-chart-layout.js b/client/app/scripts/selectors/nodes-chart-layout.js
index 604b81dfd..4670fab28 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/selectors/nodes-chart-layout.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/selectors/nodes-chart-layout.js
@@ -51,6 +51,20 @@ const layoutOptionsSelector = createStructuredSelector({
 
 export const graphLayout = createSelector(
   [
+    // TODO: Instead of sending the nodes with all the information (metrics, metadata, etc...)
+    // to the layout engine, it would suffice to forward it just the nodes adjacencies map, which
+    // we could get with another selector like:
+    //
+    // const nodesAdjacenciesSelector = createMapSelector(
+    //   [ (_, props) => props.nodes ],
+    //   node => node.get('adjacency') || makeList()
+    // );
+    //
+    // That would enable us to use smarter caching, so that the layout doesn't get recalculated
+    // if adjacencies don't change but e.g. metrics gets updated. We also don't need to init
+    // edges here as the adjacencies data is enough to reconstruct them in the layout engine (this
+    // might enable us to simplify the caching system there since we really only need to cache
+    // the adjacencies map in that case and not nodes and edges).
     (_, props) => props.nodes,
     layoutOptionsSelector,
   ],
diff --git a/client/app/styles/_base.scss b/client/app/styles/_base.scss
index d820c3f8b..63408881a 100644
--- a/client/app/styles/_base.scss
+++ b/client/app/styles/_base.scss
@@ -388,10 +388,6 @@
       }
     }
 
-    &.blurred {
-      opacity: $node-opacity-blurred;
-    }
-
     &.matched .shape {
       animation: throb 0.5s $base-ease;
     }
diff --git a/client/app/styles/_contrast-overrides.scss b/client/app/styles/_contrast-overrides.scss
index 1ae13c32b..9685d363b 100644
--- a/client/app/styles/_contrast-overrides.scss
+++ b/client/app/styles/_contrast-overrides.scss
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ $border-light-color: lighten($text-color, 50%);
 $text-darker-color: darken($text-color, 20%);
 $white: white;
 
-$node-opacity-blurred: 0.6;
 $node-highlight-fill-opacity: 0.3;
 $node-highlight-stroke-opacity: 0.5;
 $node-highlight-stroke-width: 8;
@@ -19,7 +18,6 @@ $node-border-stroke-width: 10;
 $node-pseudo-opacity: 1;
 $edge-highlight-opacity: 0.3;
 $edge-opacity-blurred: 0;
-$edge-opacity: 0.5;
 
 $btn-opacity-default: 1;
 $btn-opacity-hover: 1;
diff --git a/client/app/styles/_variables.scss b/client/app/styles/_variables.scss
index 778322088..9c3c5fdff 100644
--- a/client/app/styles/_variables.scss
+++ b/client/app/styles/_variables.scss
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ $border-radius: 4px;
 
 $terminal-header-height: 44px;
 
-$node-opacity-blurred: 0.25;
 $node-highlight-fill-opacity: 0.1;
 $node-highlight-stroke-opacity: 0.4;
 $node-highlight-stroke-width: 2;