diff --git a/hbrt/pcinterp.go b/hbrt/pcinterp.go
index 4fd00b5..fe46699 100644
--- a/hbrt/pcinterp.go
+++ b/hbrt/pcinterp.go
@@ -14,12 +14,34 @@ import (
 )
 
 // ExecPcode runs a pcode function on the given thread.
+// Full variant — installs a defer/recover so panics from inside the
+// pcode body (HbError, BreakValue, user Break) are re-panicked with
+// proper frame unwinding. Used for general-purpose pcode evaluation.
 func ExecPcode(t *Thread, fn *PcodeFunc, mod *PcodeModule) {
-	code := fn.Code
-	pc := 0 // program counter
-
 	t.Frame(fn.Params, fn.Locals)
 	defer t.EndProc()
+	execPcodeBody(t, fn, mod)
+}
+
+// ExecPcodeFast is a hot-path variant for short, pure expressions
+// (FiveSql2 WHERE predicates, inline lambdas) where the caller has
+// already guaranteed that the body will not panic with HbError /
+// BreakValue. Skips the defer+recover dance in EndProc, saving ~15ns
+// per call × tens of thousands of rows in scan loops.
+//
+// Contract: caller is responsible for panic discipline. If the pcode
+// body panics, the frame stack is still cleaned up (EndProcFast) but
+// no diagnostic is logged and SEQUENCE/RECOVER will not see the panic.
+func ExecPcodeFast(t *Thread, fn *PcodeFunc, mod *PcodeModule) {
+	t.Frame(fn.Params, fn.Locals)
+	execPcodeBody(t, fn, mod)
+	t.EndProcFast()
+}
+
+// execPcodeBody is the shared opcode dispatch loop.
+func execPcodeBody(t *Thread, fn *PcodeFunc, mod *PcodeModule) {
+	code := fn.Code
+	pc := 0 // program counter
 
 	for pc < len(code) {
 		op := code[pc]
diff --git a/hbrtl/sqlscan.go b/hbrtl/sqlscan.go
index 15cac38..c06c203 100644
--- a/hbrtl/sqlscan.go
+++ b/hbrtl/sqlscan.go
@@ -111,14 +111,17 @@ func SqlScan(t *hbrt.Thread) {
 	}
 	rows := make([]hbrt.Value, 0, estRows)
 	flat := make([]hbrt.Value, 0, estRows*nFields)
+	slab := hbrt.NewArraySlab(estRows)
 
 	// Scan
 	area.GoTop()
 	for !area.EOF() {
-		// WHERE evaluation (if any)
+		// WHERE evaluation (if any). Fast variant — WHERE expressions
+		// compiled from SQL AST don't contain BEGIN SEQUENCE, so we can
+		// skip the defer/recover frame exit.
 		keep := true
 		if whereFn != nil {
-			hbrt.ExecPcode(t, whereFn, nil)
+			hbrt.ExecPcodeFast(t, whereFn, nil)
 			keep = t.GetRetValue().AsBool()
 		}
 
@@ -141,7 +144,7 @@ func SqlScan(t *hbrt.Thread) {
 				v, _ := area.GetValue(fieldPos[i] - 1)
 				row[i] = v
 			}
-			rows = append(rows, hbrt.MakeArrayFrom(row))
+			rows = append(rows, slab.WrapNext(row))
 		}
 
 		area.Skip(1)