their handling of the super-eugenicist is also surprisingly progressive

I assume you’re talking about Endeavor there? I’d agree, yeah. Giving him a redemption arc without the idealistic feel-good parts of a redemption arc, where he’s an evil piece of shit who’s done so much harm that he can never make up for it and will genuinely never be forgiven nor absolved but that he can still become better and stop being a piece of shit moving forwards, that’s actually pretty good. That kind of story so often falls into giving the subject of it a reward (usually the forgiveness of their victims) for accumulating enough special good boy redemption points that what’s basically a cold “oh, you’re trying to be better, you’re trying to stop being so destructive to everyone around you? Cool, good, you absolutely should do that, but you still suck, we all still hate you, and things can never be the normal you want” response from his victims instead is great writing.

I think the core message of the series is intended to be a relatively egalitarian solidarity and I can at least give it credit for being pretty clear on that point by the end.

I agree, it’s not a noxious series in the way some people think, it’s just a flawed and incoherent but ultimately well meaning one.