diff --git a/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-controls.cjsx b/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-controls.cjsx
index 12381635e..9882b02a7 100644
--- a/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-controls.cjsx
+++ b/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-controls.cjsx
@@ -13,13 +13,13 @@ class MessageControls extends React.Component
 
   render: =>
     <div className="message-actions-wrap">
-      <div className="message-actions-ellipsis" onClick={@_onShowActionsMenu}>
-        <RetinaImg name={"message-actions-ellipsis.png"} mode={RetinaImg.Mode.ContentIsMask}/>
-      </div>
       <ButtonDropdown
         primaryItem={<RetinaImg name="ic-message-button-reply.png" mode={RetinaImg.Mode.ContentIsMask}/>}
         primaryClick={@_onReply}
         menu={@_dropdownMenu()}/>
+      <div className="message-actions-ellipsis" onClick={@_onShowActionsMenu}>
+        <RetinaImg name={"message-actions-ellipsis.png"} mode={RetinaImg.Mode.ContentIsMask}/>
+      </div>
     </div>
 
   _dropdownMenu: ->
diff --git a/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-item-container.cjsx b/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-item-container.cjsx
index 2872b2a72..8fa9ae9a5 100644
--- a/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-item-container.cjsx
+++ b/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-item-container.cjsx
@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@ React = require 'react'
 classNames = require 'classnames'
 
 MessageItem = require './message-item'
-PendingMessageItem = require './pending-message-item'
 
-{DraftStore,
+{Utils,
+ DraftStore,
  MessageStore} = require 'nylas-exports'
 
 {InjectedComponent} = require 'nylas-component-kit'
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ class MessageItemContainer extends React.Component
     if @props.message?.draft
       @unlisten = DraftStore.listen @_onSendingStateChanged
 
+  shouldComponentUpdate: (nextProps, nextState) =>
+    not Utils.isEqualReact(nextProps, @props) or
+    not Utils.isEqualReact(nextState, @state)
+
   componentWillUnmount: =>
     @unlisten() if @unlisten
 
@@ -43,19 +47,20 @@ class MessageItemContainer extends React.Component
   render: =>
     if @props.message.draft
       if @state.isSending
-        @_renderMessage(PendingMessageItem)
+        @_renderMessage(pending: true)
       else
         @_renderComposer()
     else
-      @_renderMessage(MessageItem)
+      @_renderMessage(pending: false)
 
-  _renderMessage: (component) =>
-    <component ref="message"
-               thread={@props.thread}
-               message={@props.message}
-               className={@_classNames()}
-               collapsed={@props.collapsed}
-               isLastMsg={@props.isLastMsg} />
+  _renderMessage: ({pending}) =>
+    <MessageItem ref="message"
+                 pending={pending}
+                 thread={@props.thread}
+                 message={@props.message}
+                 className={@_classNames()}
+                 collapsed={@props.collapsed}
+                 isLastMsg={@props.isLastMsg} />
 
   _renderComposer: =>
     props =
diff --git a/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-item.cjsx b/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-item.cjsx
index b91f06012..b76aecda2 100644
--- a/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-item.cjsx
+++ b/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-item.cjsx
@@ -90,7 +90,11 @@ class MessageItem extends React.Component
     </div>
 
   _renderHeader: =>
-    <header className="message-header" onClick={@_onClickHeader}>
+    classes = classNames
+      "message-header": true
+      "pending": @props.pending
+
+    <header className={classes} onClick={@_onClickHeader}>
 
       {@_renderHeaderSideItems()}
 
@@ -171,11 +175,19 @@ class MessageItem extends React.Component
     'no-quoted-text': not QuotedHTMLParser.hasQuotedHTML(@props.message.body)
     'show-quoted-text': @state.showQuotedText
 
-  # This is used by subclasses of MessageItem.
-  # See {PendingMessageItem}
-  _renderHeaderSideItems: -> []
+  _renderHeaderSideItems: ->
+    styles =
+      position: "absolute"
+      marginTop: -2
+
+    <div className="pending-spinner" style={styles}>
+      <RetinaImg ref="spinner"
+                 name="sending-spinner.gif"
+                 mode={RetinaImg.Mode.ContentPreserve}/>
+    </div>
 
   _renderHeaderDetailToggle: =>
+    return null if @props.pending
     if @state.detailedHeaders
       <div className="header-toggle-control"
            style={top: "18px", left: "-14px"}
diff --git a/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-list.cjsx b/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-list.cjsx
index 3b7b40115..7bb934f97 100755
--- a/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-list.cjsx
+++ b/internal_packages/message-list/lib/message-list.cjsx
@@ -251,8 +251,19 @@ class MessageList extends React.Component
     labels.map (label) =>
       <MailLabel label={label} key={label.id} onRemove={ => @_onRemoveLabel(label) }/>
 
-  _renderReplyArea: =>
-    <div className="footer-reply-area-wrap" onClick={@_onClickReplyArea} key='reply-area'>
+  _renderReplyArea: ({noTransition}={}) =>
+    if @_hasReplyArea()
+      styles =
+        "height": 63
+        "borderTop": "1px dashed #ddd"
+    else
+      styles =
+        "height": 0
+        "border": 0
+    unless noTransition
+      styles["transition"] = "height 150ms"
+
+    <div className="footer-reply-area-wrap" style={styles} onClick={@_onClickReplyArea} key='reply-area'>
       <div className="footer-reply-area">
         <RetinaImg name="#{@_replyType()}-footer.png" mode={RetinaImg.Mode.ContentIsMask}/>
         <span className="reply-text">Write a reply…</span>
@@ -306,8 +317,7 @@ class MessageList extends React.Component
                               onRequestScrollTo={@_onChildScrollRequest} />
       )
 
-    if @_hasReplyArea()
-      elements.push @_renderReplyArea()
+    elements.push @_renderReplyArea(noTransition: _.last(messages)?.draft)
 
     return elements
 
diff --git a/internal_packages/message-list/stylesheets/message-list.less b/internal_packages/message-list/stylesheets/message-list.less
index a1168db26..8ac5155f3 100644
--- a/internal_packages/message-list/stylesheets/message-list.less
+++ b/internal_packages/message-list/stylesheets/message-list.less
@@ -257,6 +257,23 @@
     padding-bottom: @spacing-standard;
     padding-top: 19px;
 
+    &.pending {
+      .message-actions-wrap {
+        width: 0;
+        opacity: 0;
+      }
+      .pending-spinner {
+        opacity: 1;
+      }
+    }
+
+    .pending-spinner {
+      transition: opacity 100ms;
+      transition-delay: 50ms, 0ms;
+      transition-timing-function: ease-in;
+      opacity: 0;
+    }
+
     .header-row {
       margin-top: 0.5em;
       color: @text-color-very-subtle;
@@ -273,11 +290,22 @@
     }
 
     .message-actions-wrap {
+      transition: opacity 100ms, width 150ms;
+      transition-delay: 50ms, 0ms;
+      transition-timing-function: ease-in-out;
+      width: 98px;
+      height: 32px;
+      opacity: 1;
       text-align: right;
+
+      .button-dropdown {
+        width: 76px;
+      }
     }
 
     .message-actions-ellipsis {
-      display: inline-block;
+      display: block;
+      float: left;
     }
 
     .message-actions {
@@ -365,6 +393,8 @@
   }
 
   .footer-reply-area-wrap {
+    overflow: hidden;
+
     width: calc(~"100% - 12px");
     max-width: @message-max-width;
     margin: -3px auto @spacing-double auto;
@@ -415,8 +445,16 @@
 ///////////////////////////////
 // message-participants.cjsx //
 ///////////////////////////////
+.pending {
+  .message-participants {
+    padding-left: 34px;
+  }
+}
 .message-participants {
 
+  transition: padding-left 150ms;
+  transition-timing-function: ease-in-out;
+
   &.collapsed:hover {cursor: default;}
 
   .from-contact {