I actually like all the companions, but saying they have their own internal locus of control doesn't really mesh with the fact they thoughtlessly follow us and our lead for no other reason than because out of game,we're the main character. If they were written like their own people, Lae'zel would have left our party once she interrogated Zorru and Gale would be pointing out that he helped us get some of those artefacts he needs and by rights he has a claim on some of them himself. Honestly, I don't find them written meaningfully differently from any other videogame companions.
I wouldn't say they thoughtlessly follow you - they will leave if you do stuff that doesn't mesh with their moral outlook - as is tradition in BG games.
I was mainly agreeing with Vitani on his criticism of the OP. The OP was complaining about the characters being "verbally abusive" - and Vitani was asking for examples and then OP lost his mind.
But I reviewed all the interactions and the closest you have is Lae'zel calling you Istick (meat) when you first meet her. Shadowheart is a bit standoffish but not verbally abusive. She chides you if you are not consistent with your opinion on Raphael - maybe that's it...because she basically calls you out for simping.
I may need to do a playthrough where I choose all the worst possible options to see if I can make the characters be verbally abusive but I don't think it's really there.
I think when we play the full game we are going to see a lot more depth on these characters than the usual fare.
