What do you mean it works in some cases, not others? A literal string is a literal string in all cases.
As for it being a "masterpiece of design", it has it's quirks but compared to common Unix shells (aside from Nushell) it's far better. It doesn't need to have a perfect design in order to be a step above the competition.
I hope to continue to see the growth of Nushell, I can see that becoming the best shell one day.