diff --git wp-admin/css/wp-admin.dev.css wp-admin/css/wp-admin.dev.css
index 13694dd..4c5fe6b 100644
--- wp-admin/css/wp-admin.dev.css
+++ wp-admin/css/wp-admin.dev.css
@@ -1373,6 +1373,15 @@ table.fixed {
 	width: 20%;
 }
 
+.comments tr.focus th, .comments tr.focus td {
+	border-top-width:1px;
+	border-top-style:solid;
+}
+
+.comments tr.blur th, .comments tr.blur td {
+	border-bottom-width:0;
+}
+
 .sorting-indicator {
 	display: none;
 	width: 21px;
diff --git wp-admin/js/edit-comments.dev.js wp-admin/js/edit-comments.dev.js
index 796ead0..47fb4e5 100644
--- wp-admin/js/edit-comments.dev.js
+++ wp-admin/js/edit-comments.dev.js
@@ -249,6 +249,20 @@ setCommentsList = function() {
 commentReply = {
 	cid : '',
 	act : '',
+	
+	showOverlay : function(id) {
+		var c = $('#comment-' + id), 
+			excluded = c.find('td, th').css('opacity', 1).add('td, th', '#replyrow');
+		listTable.$tbody.find('td, th').not(excluded).animate({opacity:'0.2'}, 300);
+		c.addClass('focus');
+		c.prev().addClass('blur');
+	},
+	
+	hideOverlay : function() {
+		listTable.$tbody.
+			find('.blur').removeClass('blur').end().
+			find('.focus').removeClass('focus');
+	},
 
 	init : function() {
 		var row = $('#replyrow');
@@ -294,6 +308,8 @@ commentReply = {
 
 		if ( $('#the-comment-list #replyrow').length < 1 )
 			return false;
+			
+		listTable.$tbody.find('th, td').animate({opacity : 1}, 300);
 
 		$('#replyrow').fadeOut('fast', function(){
 			commentReply.close();
@@ -317,6 +333,7 @@ commentReply = {
 			$('input', '#edithead').val('');
 			$('.error', '#replysubmit').html('').hide();
 			$('.waiting', '#replysubmit').hide();
+			this.hideOverlay();
 
 			if ( $.browser.msie )
 				$('#replycontainer, #replycontent').css('height', '120px');
@@ -328,7 +345,7 @@ commentReply = {
 	},
 
 	open : function(id, p, a) {
-		var t = this, editRow, rowData, act, h, c = $('#comment-' + id);
+		var t = this, editRow, rowData, act, h, c = $('#comment-' + id), replyButton;
 		t.close();
 		t.cid = id;
 
@@ -340,7 +357,8 @@ commentReply = {
 		$('#action', editRow).val(act);
 		$('#comment_post_ID', editRow).val(p);
 		$('#comment_ID', editRow).val(id);
-
+		t.showOverlay(id);
+		
 		if ( a == 'edit' ) {
 			$('#author', editRow).val( $('div.author', rowData).text() );
 			$('#author-email', editRow).val( $('div.author-email', rowData).text() );
@@ -361,9 +379,15 @@ commentReply = {
 				$('#replyrow').fadeIn(300, function(){ $(this).show() });
 			});
 		} else {
+			replyButton = $('#replybtn', editRow);
 			$('#edithead, #savebtn', editRow).hide();
 			$('#replyhead, #replybtn', editRow).show();
 			c.after(editRow);
+			if (c.hasClass('unapproved')) {
+				replyButton.text(adminCommentsL10n.replyApprove);
+			} else {
+				replyButton.text(adminCommentsL10n.reply);
+			}
 			$('#replyrow').fadeIn(300, function(){ $(this).show() });
 		}
 
diff --git wp-includes/script-loader.php wp-includes/script-loader.php
index ef54e08..79904b6 100644
--- wp-includes/script-loader.php
+++ wp-includes/script-loader.php
@@ -317,7 +317,9 @@ function wp_default_scripts( &$scripts ) {
 		$scripts->add_data( 'admin-comments', 'group', 1 );
 		$scripts->localize( 'admin-comments', 'adminCommentsL10n', array(
 			'hotkeys_highlight_first' => isset($_GET['hotkeys_highlight_first']),
-			'hotkeys_highlight_last' => isset($_GET['hotkeys_highlight_last'])
+			'hotkeys_highlight_last' => isset($_GET['hotkeys_highlight_last']),
+			'replyApprove' => __( 'Approve and Reply' ),
+			'reply' => __( 'Reply' ),
 		) );
 
 		$scripts->add( 'xfn', "/wp-admin/js/xfn$suffix.js", array('jquery'), '20100403' );