The whole Astarion introduction really is baffling. Even if you can explain away his reason for doing so in the first place, it just feels like a bad way to introduce a companion like him. I think it would feelbetter if he were a more sincere character honestly. It would come off easier to believe if someone who's clearly lost and at the end of their rope makes a desperation move and then is clearly apologetic when the truth of their mistake comes to light. Astarion ends up just dripping with condesencion, playing off his mistake and feels quite unappologetic, which makes it hard to trust him after that. And yes, he should probably come off kind of untrustworthy, but I think this current introduction is simply to blunt about it too soon. He should be untrustworthy in a slick, kind of greasy way, like you know he's playing you somehow, you just can't be sure why. Astarion's introduction should focus on portraying him as a charmer and someone with a lot of guile. Clumsily trying to hold us at knifepoint and then arrogantly brushing it off makes him feel really...unimpressive.
Also related to Astarion, the fact he can kill us during the blood-drinking scene is insane. Sure, it makes some logical sense that if we let him drink too much and weaken us, he might lose control, but it just...from a narrative, storytelling perspective that's terrible. After that happens, the rest of the party should kill him for it. But they don't, they barely seem to acknowledge that it happened, if at all. And if you have a companion pay to resurrect you, he's so arrogant and acts like killing you isn't a big deal. It's the one moment in the game that genuinely, truly INFURIATES me. He killed us, how dare he not be grovelling for forgiveness? How the hell does Larian think that's an acceptable thing to let a companion do? Gaaahhh!
