I think the problem with all this is because this game shouldn't take seriously the dev choose this, this was a game for you to get the girls through a watch and that's it, it was never supposed to be a serious story, but right now the dev suddenly decided to change this after a lot of updates later,this is why a lot of players are hating on the update, if the dev wanted a serious story he should have done that from the beginning not 10 episodes later.
Edit:
If the dev wanted drama, he got that just right
I would say the problem isn't that Laura managed to hypnotise the girls and MC, nor do i see the end of the update as drama...for me, it simply gets annoying, especialy the MC.
The problem at least for me is:
Laura is not a great strategist or a cunning mastermind, nor is there any kind of surprising plot twist, the whole ''drama'' is only possible because the MC is stupid as a loaf of toast and that for the last 3 updates, in this update he reached the lvl of a mental retarded...and if u play the 'long path' the girls (Leah,Ash,Grace and Daphne) which are with him, too.
I mean come on, MC (and the girls) learns Laura has stolen the watch, that she has hypnotised the girls, that it is possible to controll even via a phone call or video tape and after they barley get the watch back...yeah lets go drinking, eh undo Lauras controll ?..nah not important, lets go home, that can wait for an other day...oh a phone call from Laura lets answer it (MC or Leah)...
As long as the story is really only fun, this MC is bearable...but adding forced drama whit a brain death MC (and said drama only possible thanks to that) is simply annoying as fuck for me as player.