diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/expr.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/expr.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b64d1a2da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/expr.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+use crate::evaluate::evaluate_baseline_expr;
+use crate::prelude::*;
+use log::{log_enabled, trace};
+use nu_errors::ShellError;
+use nu_protocol::hir::SpannedExpression;
+
+use futures_util::pin_mut;
+use nu_protocol::Scope;
+
+pub(crate) fn run_expression_block(
+    expr: SpannedExpression,
+    context: &mut Context,
+    input: Option<InputStream>,
+) -> Result<Option<InputStream>, ShellError> {
+    if log_enabled!(log::Level::Trace) {
+        trace!(target: "nu::run::expr", "->");
+        trace!(target: "nu::run::expr", "{:?}", expr);
+    }
+
+    let registry = context.registry().clone();
+
+    let stream = async_stream! {
+        if let Some(input) = input {
+            let values = input.values;
+            pin_mut!(values);
+
+            while let Some(row) = values.next().await {
+                yield evaluate_baseline_expr(&expr, &registry, &Scope::new(row));
+            }
+        } else {
+            yield evaluate_baseline_expr(&expr, &registry, &Scope::empty());
+        }
+    };
+
+    Ok(Some(stream.to_input_stream()))
+}
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/mod.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/mod.rs
index 5d64a3b4c..3c60d8b00 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/mod.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 mod dynamic;
+pub(crate) mod expr;
 pub(crate) mod external;
 pub(crate) mod internal;
 pub(crate) mod pipeline;
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/pipeline.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/pipeline.rs
index f99bd3c44..5d94b6c61 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/pipeline.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/pipeline.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use crate::commands::classified::expr::run_expression_block;
 use crate::commands::classified::external::run_external_command;
 use crate::commands::classified::internal::run_internal_command;
 use crate::context::Context;
@@ -21,9 +22,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn run_pipeline(
                 return Err(ShellError::unimplemented("Dynamic commands"))
             }
 
-            // (Some(ClassifiedCommand::Expr(_)), _) | (_, Some(ClassifiedCommand::Expr(_))) => {
-            //     return Err(ShellError::unimplemented("Expression-only commands"))
-            // }
+            (Some(ClassifiedCommand::Expr(expr)), _) => run_expression_block(*expr, ctx, input)?,
             (Some(ClassifiedCommand::Error(err)), _) => return Err(err.into()),
             (_, Some(ClassifiedCommand::Error(err))) => return Err(err.clone().into()),
 
@@ -38,7 +37,6 @@ pub(crate) async fn run_pipeline(
             }
 
             (None, _) => break,
-            _ => unimplemented!("Not yet implented cases in run_pipeline"),
         };
     }
 
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/tests/commands/where_.rs b/crates/nu-cli/tests/commands/where_.rs
index 01ad98426..01ccb9705 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/tests/commands/where_.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/tests/commands/where_.rs
@@ -20,6 +20,24 @@ fn filters_with_nothing_comparison() {
     assert_eq!(actual, "7");
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn explicit_block_condition() {
+    let actual = nu!(
+        cwd: "tests/fixtures/formats", pipeline(
+        r#"
+            open sample.db
+            | where table_name == ints
+            | get table_values
+            | first 4
+            | where {= $it.z > 4200}
+            | get z
+            | echo $it
+        "#
+    ));
+
+    assert_eq!(actual, "4253");
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn binary_operator_comparisons() {
     let actual = nu!(
diff --git a/crates/nu-parser/src/parse.rs b/crates/nu-parser/src/parse.rs
index c0275e6cf..49ac91132 100644
--- a/crates/nu-parser/src/parse.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-parser/src/parse.rs
@@ -459,7 +459,7 @@ fn parse_arg(
                 ),
             }
         }
-        SyntaxShape::Block => {
+        SyntaxShape::Block | SyntaxShape::Condition => {
             // Blocks have one of two forms: the literal block and the implied block
             // To parse a literal block, we need to detect that what we have is itself a block
             let mut chars = lite_arg.item.chars();
@@ -496,14 +496,6 @@ fn parse_arg(
                 }
             }
         }
-        SyntaxShape::Condition => {
-            // We have an implied condition, but we can't parse this here
-            // it needed to have been parsed up higher where we have control over more than one arg
-            (
-                garbage(lite_arg.span),
-                Some(ParseError::mismatch("condition", lite_arg.clone())),
-            )
-        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -604,19 +596,19 @@ fn classify_positional_arg(
                 commands.push(ClassifiedCommand::Expr(Box::new(binary)));
                 SpannedExpression::new(Expression::Block(commands), span)
             } else if idx < lite_cmd.args.len() {
-                let (arg, err) =
-                    parse_arg(SyntaxShape::FullColumnPath, registry, &lite_cmd.args[idx]);
-                if error.is_none() {
-                    error = err;
-                }
-                arg
-            } else {
-                // TODO - this needs to get fixed and return an actual error
                 let (arg, err) = parse_arg(SyntaxShape::Condition, registry, &lite_cmd.args[idx]);
                 if error.is_none() {
                     error = err;
                 }
                 arg
+            } else {
+                if error.is_none() {
+                    error = Some(ParseError::argument_error(
+                        lite_cmd.name.clone(),
+                        ArgumentError::MissingMandatoryPositional("condition".into()),
+                    ))
+                }
+                garbage(lite_cmd.span())
             }
         }
         PositionalType::Mandatory(_, shape) => {
@@ -806,6 +798,42 @@ pub fn classify_pipeline(
                     span: Span::new(0, 0),
                 },
             }))
+        } else if lite_cmd.name.item == "=" {
+            let idx = 0;
+            let expr = if (idx + 2) < lite_cmd.args.len() {
+                let (lhs, err) = parse_arg(SyntaxShape::Any, registry, &lite_cmd.args[idx]);
+                if error.is_none() {
+                    error = err;
+                }
+                let (op, err) = parse_arg(SyntaxShape::Operator, registry, &lite_cmd.args[idx + 1]);
+                if error.is_none() {
+                    error = err;
+                }
+                let (rhs, err) = parse_arg(SyntaxShape::Any, registry, &lite_cmd.args[idx + 2]);
+                if error.is_none() {
+                    error = err;
+                }
+                let span = Span::new(lhs.span.start(), rhs.span.end());
+                SpannedExpression::new(
+                    Expression::Binary(Box::new(Binary::new(lhs, op, rhs))),
+                    span,
+                )
+            } else if idx < lite_cmd.args.len() {
+                let (arg, err) = parse_arg(SyntaxShape::Any, registry, &lite_cmd.args[idx]);
+                if error.is_none() {
+                    error = err;
+                }
+                arg
+            } else {
+                if error.is_none() {
+                    error = Some(ParseError::argument_error(
+                        lite_cmd.name.clone(),
+                        ArgumentError::MissingMandatoryPositional("an expression".into()),
+                    ))
+                }
+                garbage(lite_cmd.span())
+            };
+            commands.push(ClassifiedCommand::Expr(Box::new(expr)))
         } else if let Some(signature) = registry.get(&lite_cmd.name.item) {
             let (internal_command, err) =
                 classify_internal_command(&lite_cmd, registry, &signature);