You can argue that its not the right approach, but it'd very much what Larian intended, and they're going for a pretty tried and true trope. I think they specifically want you to be in a situation where you have to join up with characters you ordinarily wouldn't if you had a free choice. You're free to dislike that approach but I don't think it's a flaw, it's just a game design choice that some people will like more than others do.
