I assumed that double points was SDS putting in a catch-up mechanic and REALLY hoped they wouldn't patch it away. It was the only way I even going to attempt Team Affinity. I'm actually quite happy with stage 2, and would be fine with not doubling points there. Also, they tacitly admitted that Stage 1 showdowns were too hard when stage 2 was all Veteran difficulty. Now I'm back to cursing showdowns or play MTO for 6-8 hours if I want to catch up.
It's only going to get worse with stage 3 when all of sudden Toronto finally has something worthwhile and you have to grind through stages 1 and 2.