Came back months later and finally beat this level.
I do still hate this level, but I respect it. Probably the only path I never tried. Why is it faster? I have absolutely no idea. Is it evil? Yes. Should it die in a fire? I don't know.
I just kind of sat there, stunned, upon winning. My face was probably worth a thousand words.
A really cool variation on the first in the series. The second level definitely feels like the weakest, but it breaks up the first and third nicely I guess. Great set overall, lots of fun to solve.