So maybe PD 51 is the only way I'll ever get to pyramid level 1?
I did play PD 51 quite awhile ago while trying to get the controller and the jewel. Haven't been there since getting both once. A death on 51.8 (the level with 8 fruits) is virtually certain and multiple deaths quite probable. Level 51.9 is even worse. In dozens of attempts, I never once came close to making it through the initial fall without a bubble. But I suppose I could just sacrifice one life, and use the bubble to fall through to the next level. That costs only the controller (20k points) and a

while saving perhaps half a dozen lives.
What is this second extra life you're talking about? I saw only one, on the level before the controller.