diff --git a/src/backends/immerse.jl b/src/backends/immerse.jl
index a3578a2b..f8e6171d 100644
--- a/src/backends/immerse.jl
+++ b/src/backends/immerse.jl
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ immerse!() = plotter!(:immerse)
 
 function createImmerseFigure(d::Dict)
   # d[:show] || return  # return nothing when we're not showing
+  println("Creating immerse figure: ", d)
   w,h = d[:size]
   figidx = Immerse.figure(; name = d[:windowtitle], width = w, height = h)
   Immerse.Figure(figidx)
@@ -22,7 +23,9 @@ function plot(pkg::ImmersePackage; kw...)
   gplt = createGadflyPlotObject(d)
 
   # create the figure (or not).  Immerse just returns the index of the Figure in the GadflyDisplay... call Figure(figidx) to get the object
-  fig = d[:show] ? createImmerseFigure(d) : nothing
+  # fig = d[:show] ? createImmerseFigure(d) : nothing
+  fig =  nothing
+
   # if d[:show]
   #   # w,h = d[:size]
   #   # figidx = Immerse.figure(; name = d[:windowtitle], width = w, height = h)
@@ -51,6 +54,7 @@ function Base.display(::ImmersePackage, plt::Plot)
   fig, gplt = plt.o
   if fig == nothing
     fig = createImmerseFigure(plt.initargs)
+    plt.o = (fig, gplt)
   end
   newfig = Immerse.Figure(fig.canvas, gplt)
   display(newfig)
@@ -78,7 +82,8 @@ function buildSubplotObject!(::ImmersePackage, subplt::Subplot)
   end
   gctx = Gadfly.vstack(rows...)
 
-  fig = subplt.initargs[:show] ? createImmerseFigure(subplt.initargs) : nothing
+  # fig = subplt.initargs[:show] ? createImmerseFigure(subplt.initargs) : nothing
+  fig = nothing
   # fig = createImmerseFigure(subplt.initargs)
 
   subplt.o = (fig, gctx)
@@ -87,13 +92,21 @@ end
 
 function Base.display(::ImmersePackage, subplt::Subplot)
   println("disp2")
-  # display(subplt.o[1])
+
   fig, gctx = subplt.o
   if fig == nothing
     fig = createImmerseFigure(subplt.initargs)
+    subplt.o = (fig, gctx)
   end
-  # newfig = Immerse.Figure(fig.canvas, gctx)
-  fig.cc = gctx
-  # error(fig)
-  display(fig)
+
+  fig.prepped = Gadfly.render_prepare(gctx)
+  # Render in the current state
+  fig.cc = render_finish(fig.prepped; dynamic=false)
+  # Render the figure
+  display(fig.canvas, fig)
+
+  # fig.cc = gctx
+  # fig.prepped = nothing
+
+  # display(fig)
 end
diff --git a/src/plot.jl b/src/plot.jl
index d60e51e5..5fe0350d 100644
--- a/src/plot.jl
+++ b/src/plot.jl
@@ -112,11 +112,12 @@ function plot!(plt::Plot, args...; kw...)
 
   currentPlot!(plt)
 
-  # do we want to show it?
-  d = Dict(kw)
-  if haskey(d, :show) && d[:show]
-    display(plt)
-  end
+  # NOTE: lets ignore the show param and effectively use the semicolon at the end of the REPL statement
+  # # do we want to show it?
+  # d = Dict(kw)
+  # if haskey(d, :show) && d[:show]
+  #   display(plt)
+  # end
 
   plt
 end
diff --git a/src/subplot.jl b/src/subplot.jl
index 8685857c..2a4d64a0 100644
--- a/src/subplot.jl
+++ b/src/subplot.jl
@@ -72,13 +72,13 @@ function subplot(args...; kw...)
   # initialize the individual plots
   pkg = plotter()
   tmpd = getPlotKeywordArgs(kw, 1, 0)
-  shouldShow = tmpd[:show]
-  tmpd[:show] = false
+  # shouldShow = tmpd[:show]
+  # tmpd[:show] = false
   plts = Plot[plot(pkg; tmpd...) for i in 1:length(layout)]
-  tmpd[:show] = shouldShow
+  # tmpd[:show] = shouldShow
 
   # create the object and do the plotting
-  subplt = Subplot(nothing, plts, pkg, length(layout), 0, layout, tmpd)
+  subplt = Subplot(nothing, plts, pkg, length(layout), 0, layout, tmpd, false)
   subplot!(subplt, args...; kw...)
 
   subplt
@@ -111,17 +111,22 @@ function subplot!(subplt::Subplot, args...; kw...)
   end
 
   # create the underlying object (each backend will do this differently)
-  buildSubplotObject!(subplt.plotter, subplt)
+  if !subplt.initialized
+    buildSubplotObject!(subplt.plotter, subplt)
+    subplt.initialized = true
+  end
 
   # set this to be current
   currentPlot!(subplt)
 
-  # do we want to show it?
-  d = Dict(kw)
-  @show d
-  if haskey(d, :show) && d[:show]
-    display(subplt)
-  end
+  # NOTE: lets ignore the show param and effectively use the semicolon at the end of the REPL statement
+  # # do we want to show it?
+  # d = Dict(kw)
+  # @show d
+  # if haskey(d, :show) && d[:show]
+  #   println("here...why?")
+  #   display(subplt)
+  # end
 
   subplt
 end
diff --git a/src/types.jl b/src/types.jl
index d5d1c7e0..e4cf9115 100644
--- a/src/types.jl
+++ b/src/types.jl
@@ -30,4 +30,5 @@ type Subplot <: PlottingObject
   n::Int                      # number of series
   layout::SubplotLayout
   initargs::Dict
+  initialized::Bool
 end
\ No newline at end of file