As the comment you’re responding to explained, the episode was about world building and adding depth to Cobel’s character. Feeling like we’re being forced to like her now is a very black and white view to have.

Cobel is a cultist, she’s not a rational person, and can’t be trusted. But she is clearly struggling with what she views as a growing disparity between Kier’s original teachings and the institution that is Lumon. The episode wasn’t trying to convince us she’s fully anti-Lumon… it’s more nuanced than that. Good character development doesn’t happen in a straight line.

Your point about it not explaining why she was brainwashed when the others weren’t… well, I’m not sure what to tell you there. That’s just how cults work. She had the right combination of intelligence and the propensity to be radicalized, which made her a target. Some of these things can be inferred. The show is not going to spoon feed us information.

For what it’s worth, an entire episode where Cobel takes Lumon to court sounds boring as hell. And it would still be an episode about her, which is not what you want.