diff --git a/lib/models/event-timeline-set.js b/lib/models/event-timeline-set.js
index abc1d9386..4b9a80e4d 100644
--- a/lib/models/event-timeline-set.js
+++ b/lib/models/event-timeline-set.js
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ function EventTimelineSet(roomId, room, opts) {
     this._timelines = [this._liveTimeline];
     this._eventIdToTimeline = {};
 
-    this._filter = opts.filter;
+    this._filter = opts.filter || null;
 }
 utils.inherits(EventTimelineSet, EventEmitter);
 
@@ -639,16 +639,3 @@ module.exports = EventTimelineSet;
  *   }
  * });
  */
-
-/**
- * Fires whenever the live timeline in a room is reset.
- *
- * When we get a 'limited' sync (for example, after a network outage), we reset
- * the live timeline to be empty before adding the recent events to the new
- * timeline. This event is fired after the timeline is reset, and before the
- * new events are added.
- *
- * @event module:client~MatrixClient#"Room.timelineReset"
- * @param {Room} room The room whose live timeline was reset.
- */
-
diff --git a/lib/models/room.js b/lib/models/room.js
index f7379414a..621ac8493 100644
--- a/lib/models/room.js
+++ b/lib/models/room.js
@@ -223,10 +223,10 @@ Room.prototype._fixUpLegacyTimelineFields = function() {
     // and this.oldState and this.currentState as references to the
     // state at the start and end of that timeline. These are more
     // for backwards-compatibility than anything else.
-    this.timeline = this.getUnfilteredTimelineSet().getLiveTimeline().getEvents();
-    this.oldState = this.getUnfilteredTimelineSet().getLiveTimeline()
+    this.timeline = this.getLiveTimeline().getEvents();
+    this.oldState = this.getLiveTimeline()
                         .getState(EventTimeline.BACKWARDS);
-    this.currentState = this.getUnfilteredTimelineSet().getLiveTimeline()
+    this.currentState = this.getLiveTimeline()
                             .getState(EventTimeline.FORWARDS);
 };
 
@@ -477,7 +477,7 @@ Room.prototype.getOrCreateFilteredTimelineSet = function(filter) {
     // may have grown huge and so take a long time to filter.
     // see https://github.com/vector-im/vector-web/issues/2109
 
-    var unfilteredLiveTimeline = this.getUnfilteredTimelineSet().getLiveTimeline();
+    var unfilteredLiveTimeline = this.getLiveTimeline();
 
     unfilteredLiveTimeline.getEvents().forEach(function(event) {
         timelineSet.addLiveEvent(event);
@@ -1358,3 +1358,15 @@ module.exports = Room;
  *
  * @param {EventStatus} oldStatus The previous event status.
  */
+
+/**
+ * Fires whenever the live timeline in a room is reset.
+ *
+ * When we get a 'limited' sync (for example, after a network outage), we reset
+ * the live timeline to be empty before adding the recent events to the new
+ * timeline. This event is fired after the timeline is reset, and before the
+ * new events are added.
+ *
+ * @event module:client~MatrixClient#"Room.timelineReset"
+ * @param {Room} room The room whose live timeline was reset.
+ */