The 200-4R was built with a safety in the TV circuit called the TV exhaust checkball. It is designed to seat if the TV cable breaks or becomes excessively slack. When it does seat, the TV pressure is maximized.
That may explain why your shifts are very firm and OD won't come in. As for why the shifts soften up when you go the other way with the cable; you are now making the TV system functional but you may have a low line pressure condition.