diff --git a/webclient/recents/recents-controller.js b/webclient/recents/recents-controller.js
index b4762acd1ddf125ade30a1dfddc9b61ad55ed8fc..701c935742703d272741d462499f8d7a25383edb 100644
--- a/webclient/recents/recents-controller.js
+++ b/webclient/recents/recents-controller.js
@@ -82,6 +82,11 @@ angular.module('RecentsController', ['matrixService', 'matrixFilter', 'eventHand
         eventHandlerService.waitForInitialSyncCompletion().then(
             function(initialSyncData) {
             
+                // XXX FIXME TODO:
+                // Any assignments to the rootScope here should be done in
+                // event handler service and not here, because we could have
+                // many controllers manipulating and clobbering each other, and
+                // are unecessarily repeating http requests.
                 var rooms = initialSyncData.data.rooms;
                 for (var i=0; i<rooms.length; i++) {
                     var room = rooms[i];
diff --git a/webclient/recents/recents.html b/webclient/recents/recents.html
index efc5c39689864a98bcdfde2a3b4cd89f12140758..4972e401f67b18463e47a3d285c643b335287f06 100644
--- a/webclient/recents/recents.html
+++ b/webclient/recents/recents.html
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
                     {{ room.room_id | mRoomName }}
                 </td>
                 <td class="recentsRoomSummaryTS">
-                    {{ room.numUsersInRoom }} {{ room.numUsersInRoom == 1 ? 'user' : 'users' }}
+                    {{ room.numUsersInRoom || '1' }} {{ room.numUsersInRoom == 1 ? 'user' : 'users' }}
                 </td>
                 <td class="recentsRoomSummaryTS">
                     {{ (room.lastMsg.ts) | date:'MMM d HH:mm' }}