The difference is that you probably didn't have to wait in line at Immigration in Paris for 2 hours
Here at BOS, it appears to me that's just a luck of the draw. The queues for citizens and non-citizens were right next to each other. If a 747 arrives just before you do, you'll be waiting a long time, whether citizen or not. If you have to wait for your luggage (rather than carry-on), you'll be waiting a long time.
On my return flight from CDG, I arrived 2 hours prior to my flight, and I still only just made it. The queue to check-in was 60 minutes. The queue for passport control for non-French citizens was another 45 minutes -- the queue for French citizens was less than a minute. Did that suck? Yes. Do I rant that I'll never return to France? No.