I must admit that I like some slight "inconsistencies". Video games have the tendency to shoehorn characters into a single narrow archetype and never deviate from it, making characters very bland. By varying a bit the way characters express themselves, they feel more human than just a narrative tool.
That is also a fair point, and Gale being painfully awkward when first meeting someone, or even having somewhat snobbish and sleazy attitudes when he doesn’t watch himself, doesn’t seem entirely off brand. But I do agree with JandK that it can feel too clumsy currently and clearly gives Gale too much work to do for some folk to warm to him after poor first impressions. “Consistent” was a bad word choice of mine, as I also agree that some level of inconsistency and tension between different character traits can make characters feel more real, but done without care this can be too jarring and I can sympathise with people who think Gale’s intro is an example of this.
I say that as someone who so far likes him despite his flaws, but I think with some minor tweaks Larian could preserve the awkwardness and tendency to elitism (and even the misplaced attempts at “charm”) without alienating some players from the get go, which feels undesirable in a companion and probably not what the writers intend at this point.
But now I think I am retreading old ground from that thread I linked above, so I’ll stop.
