diff --git a/servicetalk-http-netty/src/main/java/io/servicetalk/http/netty/RetryingHttpRequesterFilter.java b/servicetalk-http-netty/src/main/java/io/servicetalk/http/netty/RetryingHttpRequesterFilter.java
index 182b65fa48..1de85c89d3 100644
--- a/servicetalk-http-netty/src/main/java/io/servicetalk/http/netty/RetryingHttpRequesterFilter.java
+++ b/servicetalk-http-netty/src/main/java/io/servicetalk/http/netty/RetryingHttpRequesterFilter.java
@@ -208,7 +208,14 @@ public Completable apply(final int count, final Throwable t) {
                     backOffPolicy = retryFor.apply(requestMetaData, t);
                 } catch (Throwable tt) {
                     LOGGER.warn("Unexpected exception when computing backoff policy.", tt);
-                    return failed(ThrowableUtils.addSuppressed(t, tt));
+                    Completable result = failed(ThrowableUtils.addSuppressed(tt, t));
+                    if (returnOriginalResponses) {
+                        StreamingHttpResponse response = extractStreamingResponse(t);
+                        if (response != null) {
+                            result = drain(response).concat(result);
+                        }
+                    }
+                    return result;
                 }
                 if (backOffPolicy != NO_RETRIES) {
                     final int offsetCount = count - lbNotReadyCount;
diff --git a/servicetalk-http-netty/src/test/java/io/servicetalk/http/netty/RetryingHttpRequesterFilterTest.java b/servicetalk-http-netty/src/test/java/io/servicetalk/http/netty/RetryingHttpRequesterFilterTest.java
index 8caf1b41a3..4e270d0391 100644
--- a/servicetalk-http-netty/src/test/java/io/servicetalk/http/netty/RetryingHttpRequesterFilterTest.java
+++ b/servicetalk-http-netty/src/test/java/io/servicetalk/http/netty/RetryingHttpRequesterFilterTest.java
@@ -310,25 +310,22 @@ public Single<StreamingHttpResponse> request(final StreamingHttpRequest request)
         assertThat("Unexpected number of connections was created", newConnectionCreated.get(), is(1));
     }
 
-    private enum LambdaException {
+    private enum ExceptionSource {
         RESPONSE_MAPPER,
-        RETRY_RETRYABLE_EXCEPTIONS,
-        RETRY_RESPONSES,
-        ON_REQUEST_RETRY
+        RETRY_RESPONSES
     }
 
     private static Stream<Arguments> lambdaExceptions() {
         return Stream.of(true, false).flatMap(returnOriginalResponses ->
-                Stream.of(LambdaException.values())
+                Stream.of(ExceptionSource.values())
                         .map(lambda -> Arguments.of(returnOriginalResponses, lambda)));
     }
 
     @ParameterizedTest(name = "{displayName} [{index}]: returnOriginalResponses={0}, thrower={1}")
     @MethodSource("lambdaExceptions")
-    void lambdaExceptions(final boolean returnOriginalResponses, final LambdaException thrower) throws Exception {
-
+    void lambdaExceptions(final boolean returnOriginalResponses, final ExceptionSource thrower) {
         final AtomicInteger newConnectionCreated = new AtomicInteger();
-        final AtomicInteger responsesReceived = new AtomicInteger();
+        final AtomicInteger requestsInitiated = new AtomicInteger();
         final AtomicInteger responseDrained = new AtomicInteger();
         final AtomicInteger onRequestRetryCounter = new AtomicInteger();
         final String retryMessage = "Retryable header";
@@ -336,57 +333,40 @@ void lambdaExceptions(final boolean returnOriginalResponses, final LambdaExcepti
                 .appendClientFilter(new Builder()
                         .maxTotalRetries(4)
                         .responseMapper(metaData -> {
-                            if (thrower == LambdaException.RESPONSE_MAPPER) {
+                            if (thrower == ExceptionSource.RESPONSE_MAPPER) {
                                 throw new RuntimeException("responseMapper");
                             }
                             return metaData.headers().contains(RETRYABLE_HEADER) ?
                                     new HttpResponseException(retryMessage, metaData) : null;
                         })
-                        // Disable request retrying
-                        .retryRetryableExceptions((requestMetaData, e) -> {
-                            if (thrower == LambdaException.RETRY_RETRYABLE_EXCEPTIONS) {
-                                throw new RuntimeException("retryRetryableExceptions");
-                            }
-                            return ofNoRetries();
-                        })
                         // Retry only responses marked so
                         .retryResponses((requestMetaData, throwable) -> {
-                            if (thrower == LambdaException.RETRY_RESPONSES) {
+                            if (thrower == ExceptionSource.RETRY_RESPONSES) {
                                 throw new RuntimeException("retryResponses");
                             }
                             return ofImmediate(3);
                         }, returnOriginalResponses)
-                        .onRequestRetry((count, req, t) -> {
-                            if (thrower == LambdaException.ON_REQUEST_RETRY) {
-                                throw new RuntimeException("onRequestRetryThrows");
-                            }
-                            assertThat(onRequestRetryCounter.incrementAndGet(), is(count));
-                        })
+                        .onRequestRetry((count, req, t) ->
+                            assertThat(onRequestRetryCounter.incrementAndGet(), is(count)))
                         .build())
                 .appendConnectionFilter(c -> {
                     newConnectionCreated.incrementAndGet();
                     return new StreamingHttpConnectionFilter(c) {
                         @Override
                         public Single<StreamingHttpResponse> request(final StreamingHttpRequest request) {
-                            return delegate().request(request)
-                                    .map(response -> {
-                                        responsesReceived.incrementAndGet();
-                                        return response.transformPayloadBody(payload -> payload
-                                                .whenFinally(responseDrained::incrementAndGet));
-                                    });
+                            return Single.defer(() -> {
+                                requestsInitiated.incrementAndGet();
+                                return delegate().request(request)
+                                        .map(response -> response.transformPayloadBody(payload -> payload
+                                                    .whenFinally(responseDrained::incrementAndGet)));
+                            });
                         }
                     };
                 })
                 .buildBlocking();
-        // TODO: we don't really want to accept different behavior but it seems like the retry operator will swallow
-        //  exceptions that we attempt to bubble up through the retry-strategy failure channel.
-        if (returnOriginalResponses && thrower != LambdaException.RESPONSE_MAPPER) {
-            normalClient.request(normalClient.get("/"));
-        } else {
-            assertThrows(Exception.class, () -> normalClient.request(normalClient.get("/")));
-        }
-        assertThat("Response payload body was not drained on every mapping", responseDrained.get(),
-                is(responsesReceived.get()));
+        assertThrows(Exception.class, () -> normalClient.request(normalClient.get("/")));
+        assertThat("Response payload body was not drained on every mapping", responseDrained.get(), is(1));
+        assertThat("Multiple requests initiated", requestsInitiated.get(), is(1));
         assertThat("Unexpected number of connections was created", newConnectionCreated.get(), is(1));
     }