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Deckard is a second-rate cop rather than a ultra-brilliant one

You think the Deckard of the film is ultra-brilliant? The only reason Zhora didn't kill him is because she freaked out about the noise (or possibly because she didn't have the strength), Leon would have killed him but for Rachael, and Baty could have killed him if he'd chosen to. It seems to me he's got the reputation he does despite his actions, probably just because he does actually survive.

The stuff with the empathy machines is really weird and I'm not sure I quite get it, but adds to the generally depressing atmosphere.

You need to read the short story now "The Little Black Box", which is about how Mercerism arose. It'll do your head in (surprise surprise, for a PKD story).

Have you noticed how Dick put the manufacture of replicants into Jewish hands, but Ridley Scott took it away again. I don't know enough about Dick to know whether he was playing with a golem allusion or whether there's subtle antisemitism there, or it's just a cigar.

Finally, there's an excellent Blade Runner site I've been recommending
people for years; all kinds of interesting stuff there (lots of
symbolism I wouldn't have picked up on on my own). I'd certainly have pointed you at it in 1998 (I can see I pointed

bluepork at it then from my mail archive). Unfortunately the URL it was last at is currently down; but this Wikipedia page seems to have picked up much of the content.