Mario Z

I found this puzzle to be an unpleasant experience.

To me, this felt like a perfect puzzle. It was challenging and layered, with no clues that, as Peter Griffin would put it, "insist upon themselves." It also had the hallmark of the crosswords that first hooked me into solving puzzles back in the late 1980s: respect for the past. I liked how the puzzles of yesteryear used to make me have to learn about old Hollywood, old language, old sports stars, etc. They never felt like they catered to me, which made me even more determined to try to solve them. Waiting until the next day to see what I missed was instructive and also made me feel like I was being woven in to greater culture that was forged before me. While a young solver would struggle with clues like 75A, 77A, 94A, 123A, and my favorite, 61A (I just last night told my son, while watching old Super Bowl shows that the Vikings have not returned to the Super Bowl since moving into (and now out of) the answer to this clue), they will be learning about various aspects of our culture. And because I went through those struggles as a Gen Xer, today I was able to answer such clues as 27A, 98A, and 126A, answers that stretch back to well before my time. Mr. Niederman, much thanks!

To quote Peter Griffin, "It insists upon itself."

I like sleepier puzzles.