diff --git a/v2/ansible/playbook/base.py b/v2/ansible/playbook/base.py
index e2b96c8cc25..c1632403639 100644
--- a/v2/ansible/playbook/base.py
+++ b/v2/ansible/playbook/base.py
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ from io import FileIO
 
 from six import iteritems, string_types
 
+from ansible.errors import AnsibleParserError
 from ansible.playbook.attribute import Attribute, FieldAttribute
 from ansible.parsing.yaml import DataLoader
 
@@ -73,14 +74,18 @@ class Base:
         if isinstance(ds, string_types) or isinstance(ds, FileIO):
             ds = self._loader.load(ds)
 
-        # we currently don't do anything with private attributes but may
-        # later decide to filter them out of 'ds' here.
-
+        # call the munge() function to massage the data into something
+        # we can more easily parse, and then call the validation function
+        # on it to ensure there are no incorrect key values
         ds = self.munge(ds)
+        self._validate_attributes(ds)
+
+        # Walk all attributes in the class.
+        #
+        # FIXME: we currently don't do anything with private attributes but
+        #        may later decide to filter them out of 'ds' here.
 
-        # walk all attributes in the class
         for (name, attribute) in iteritems(self._get_base_attributes()):
-
             # copy the value over unless a _load_field method is defined
             if name in ds:
                 method = getattr(self, '_load_%s' % name, None)
@@ -96,6 +101,17 @@ class Base:
     def get_loader(self):
         return self._loader
 
+    def _validate_attributes(self, ds):
+        '''
+        Ensures that there are no keys in the datastructure which do
+        not map to attributes for this object.
+        '''
+
+        valid_attrs = [name for (name, attribute) in iteritems(self._get_base_attributes())]
+        for key in ds:
+            if key not in valid_attrs:
+                raise AnsibleParserError("'%s' is not a valid attribute for a %s" % (key, self.__class__), obj=ds)
+
     def validate(self):
         ''' validation that is done at parse time, not load time '''
 
diff --git a/v2/ansible/playbook/role/metadata.py b/v2/ansible/playbook/role/metadata.py
index 9e732d6eeaa..485e3da59f2 100644
--- a/v2/ansible/playbook/role/metadata.py
+++ b/v2/ansible/playbook/role/metadata.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 
 from six import iteritems, string_types
 
-from ansible.errors import AnsibleError, AnsibleParserError
+from ansible.errors import AnsibleParserError
 from ansible.playbook.attribute import Attribute, FieldAttribute
 from ansible.playbook.base import Base
 from ansible.playbook.role.include import RoleInclude
@@ -56,16 +56,6 @@ class RoleMetadata(Base):
         m = RoleMetadata().load_data(data, loader=loader)
         return m
 
-    def munge(self, ds):
-        # make sure there are no keys in the datastructure which
-        # do not map to attributes for this object
-        valid_attrs = [name for (name, attribute) in iteritems(self._get_base_attributes())]
-        for name in ds:
-            if name not in valid_attrs:
-                print("'%s' is not a valid attribute" % name)
-                raise AnsibleParserError("'%s' is not a valid attribute" % name, obj=ds)
-        return ds
-
     def _load_dependencies(self, attr, ds):
         '''
         This is a helper loading function for the dependencis list,
diff --git a/v2/ansible/playbook/task.py b/v2/ansible/playbook/task.py
index 422668148ba..97f7b06eb62 100644
--- a/v2/ansible/playbook/task.py
+++ b/v2/ansible/playbook/task.py
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ class Task(Base):
         new_ds['delegate_to'] = delegate_to
 
         for (k,v) in ds.iteritems():
-            if k in ('action', 'local_action', 'args', 'delegate_to') or k == action:
+            if k in ('action', 'local_action', 'args', 'delegate_to') or k == action or k == 'shell':
                 # we don't want to re-assign these values, which were
                 # determined by the ModuleArgsParser() above
                 continue
@@ -171,181 +171,3 @@ class Task(Base):
 
         return new_ds
 
-
-    # ==================================================================================
-    # BELOW THIS LINE
-    # info below this line is "old" and is before the attempt to build Attributes
-    # use as reference but plan to replace and radically simplify
-    # ==================================================================================
-
-LEGACY = """
-
-    def _load_action(self, ds, k, v):
-        ''' validate/transmogrify/assign the module and parameters if used in 'action/local_action' format '''
-
-        results = dict()
-        module_name, params = v.strip().split(' ', 1)
-        if module_name not in module_finder:
-            raise AnsibleError("the specified module '%s' could not be found, check your module path" % module_name)
-        results['_module_name'] = module_name
-        results['_parameters'] = parse_kv(params)
-
-        if k == 'local_action':
-            if 'delegate_to' in ds:
-                raise AnsibleError("delegate_to cannot be specified with local_action in task: %s" % ds.get('name', v))
-            results['_delegate_to'] = '127.0.0.1'
-            if not 'transport' in ds and not 'connection' in ds:
-                results['_transport'] = 'local'
-        return results
-
-    def _load_module(self, ds, k, v):
-        ''' validate/transmogrify/assign the module and parameters if used in 'module:' format '''
-
-        results = dict()
-        if self._module_name:
-            raise AnsibleError("the module name (%s) was already specified, '%s' is a duplicate" % (self._module_name, k))
-        elif 'action' in ds:
-            raise AnsibleError("multiple actions specified in task: '%s' and '%s'" % (k, ds.get('name', ds['action'])))
-        results['_module_name'] = k
-        if isinstance(v, dict) and 'args' in ds:
-            raise AnsibleError("can't combine args: and a dict for %s: in task %s" % (k, ds.get('name', "%s: %s" % (k, v))))
-        results['_parameters'] = self._load_parameters(v)
-        return results
-
-    def _load_loop(self, ds, k, v):
-        ''' validate/transmogrify/assign the module any loop directives that have valid action plugins as names '''
-
-        results = dict()
-        if isinstance(v, basestring):
-             param = v.strip()
-             if (param.startswith('{{') and param.find('}}') == len(ds[x]) - 2 and param.find('|') == -1):
-                 utils.warning("It is unnecessary to use '{{' in loops, leave variables in loop expressions bare.")
-        plugin_name = k.replace("with_","")
-        if plugin_name in utils.plugins.lookup_loader:
-            results['_lookup_plugin'] = plugin_name
-            results['_lookup_terms']  = v
-        else:
-            raise errors.AnsibleError("cannot find lookup plugin named %s for usage in with_%s" % (plugin_name, plugin_name))
-        return results
-
-    def _load_legacy_when(self, ds, k, v):
-        ''' yell about old when syntax being used still '''
-
-        utils.deprecated("The 'when_' conditional has been removed. Switch to using the regular unified 'when' statements as described on docs.ansible.com.","1.5", removed=True)
-        if self._when:
-            raise errors.AnsibleError("multiple when_* statements specified in task %s" % (ds.get('name', ds.get('action'))))
-        when_name = k.replace("when_","")
-        return dict(_when = "%s %s" % (when_name, v))
-
-    def _load_when(self, ds, k, v):
-        ''' validate/transmogrify/assign a conditional '''
-
-        conditionals = self._when.copy()
-        conditionals.push(v)
-        return dict(_when=conditionals)
-
-    def _load_changed_when(self, ds, k, v):
-        ''' validate/transmogrify/assign a changed_when conditional '''
-
-        conditionals = self._changed_when.copy()
-        conditionals.push(v)
-        return dict(_changed_when=conditionals)
-
-    def _load_failed_when(self, ds, k, v):
-        ''' validate/transmogrify/assign a failed_when conditional '''
-
-        conditionals = self._failed_when.copy()
-        conditionals.push(v)
-        return dict(_failed_when=conditionals)
-
-    # FIXME: move to BaseObject
-    def _load_tags(self, ds, k, v):
-        ''' validate/transmogrify/assign any tags '''
-
-        new_tags = self.tags.copy()
-        tags = v
-        if isinstance(v, basestring):
-            tags = v.split(',')
-        new_tags.push(v)
-        return dict(_tags=v)
-
-    def _load_invalid_key(self, ds, k, v):
-        ''' handle any key we do not recognize '''
-
-        raise AnsibleError("%s is not a legal parameter in an Ansible task or handler" % k)
-
-    def _load_other_valid_key(self, ds, k, v):
-        ''' handle any other attribute we DO recognize '''
-
-        results = dict()
-        k = "_%s" % k
-        results[k] = v
-        return results
-
-    def _loader_for_key(self, k):
-        ''' based on the name of a datastructure element, find the code to handle it '''
-
-        if k in ('action', 'local_action'):
-            return self._load_action
-        elif k in utils.plugins.module_finder:
-            return self._load_module
-        elif k.startswith('with_'):
-            return self._load_loop
-        elif k == 'changed_when':
-            return self._load_changed_when
-        elif k == 'failed_when':
-            return self._load_failed_when
-        elif k == 'when':
-            return self._load_when
-        elif k == 'tags':
-            return self._load_tags
-        elif k not in self.VALID_KEYS:
-            return self._load_invalid_key
-        else:
-            return self._load_other_valid_key
-
-    # ==================================================================================
-    # PRE-VALIDATION - expected to be uncommonly used, this checks for arguments that
-    # are aliases of each other.  Most everything else should be in the LOAD block
-    # or the POST-VALIDATE block.
-
-    def _pre_validate(self, ds):
-       ''' rarely used function to see if the datastructure has items that mean the same thing '''
-
-       if 'action' in ds and 'local_action' in ds:
-           raise AnsibleError("the 'action' and 'local_action' attributes can not be used together")
-
-    # =================================================================================
-    # POST-VALIDATION: checks for internal inconsistency between fields
-    # validation can result in an error but also corrections
-
-    def _post_validate(self):
-        ''' is the loaded datastructure sane? '''
-
-        if not self._name:
-            self._name = self._post_validate_fixed_name()
-
-        # incompatible items
-        self._validate_conflicting_su_and_sudo()
-        self._validate_conflicting_first_available_file_and_loookup()
-
-    def _post_validate_fixed_name(self):
-        '' construct a name for the task if no name was specified '''
-
-        flat_params = " ".join(["%s=%s" % (k,v) for k,v in self._parameters.iteritems()])
-        return = "%s %s" % (self._module_name, flat_params)
-
-    def _post_validate_conflicting_su_and_sudo(self):
-        ''' make sure su/sudo usage doesn't conflict '''
-
-        conflicting = (self._sudo or self._sudo_user or self._sudo_pass) and (self._su or self._su_user or self._su_pass):
-        if conflicting:
-            raise AnsibleError('sudo params ("sudo", "sudo_user", "sudo_pass") and su params ("su", "su_user", "su_pass") cannot be used together')
-
-    def _post_validate_conflicting_first_available_file_and_lookup(self):
-         ''' first_available_file (deprecated) predates lookup plugins, and cannot be used with those kinds of loops '''
-
-        if self._first_available_file and self._lookup_plugin:
-            raise AnsibleError("with_(plugin), and first_available_file are mutually incompatible in a single task")
-
-"""