I'm surprised you don't like it. For me personal plots and relationships are the most interesting part of playing pen & paper RPG's. It makes the game much more complex and emotionally involving. I'm so grateful for pre-gens stories (especially for Astarion's, it's the pop cultural plot I've been waiting for very long time). To be honest, I have a theory that maybe all of these characters were chosen because of their unique aspects - maybe mind flayers experimented on them to create more powerful illithids or something like that?
Plus I guess everything happens so quickly because Act I is an exposition. You have to discover your party members' secrets to enjoy their progress later.
