diff --git a/dpl3-revive/patha/vrview.py b/dpl3-revive/patha/vrview.py
index 63950fd..9b970d9 100644
--- a/dpl3-revive/patha/vrview.py
+++ b/dpl3-revive/patha/vrview.py
@@ -44,11 +44,14 @@ def inst_visible(nodes, inst):
     return len(b) >= 20 and struct.unpack_from('<I', b, 16)[0] != 0
 
 
-# First-person near-eye cull (the cockpit-canopy "vertical line" fix).
-# VRVIEW_NEARCULL=0 disables it: with the camera at the true chain eye the
-# always-armed cockpit/bay assembly should render as the authentic canopy
-# surround instead of a stray sliver -- A/B toggle for that investigation.
-NEARCULL = os.environ.get('VRVIEW_NEARCULL', '1') != '0'
+# First-person near-eye cull -- DEFAULT OFF (VRVIEW_NEARCULL=1 re-enables).
+# It was the cockpit-canopy "vertical line" workaround, but the eye-shroud
+# it culls IS authentic content: the escape-pod interior and the death
+# "blue swirly" ring dome live parked around the camera, normally clipped
+# by the standard hither plane (0.25) and revealed when the death sequence
+# re-flushes the view with hither=1/yon=2 (period VHS stills match). The
+# true-eye camera renders the canopy correctly, so the workaround retires.
+NEARCULL = os.environ.get('VRVIEW_NEARCULL', '0') != '0'
 
 
 # NOTE: vrboard.do_flush stores the flush payload MINUS the leading remote word,