Something that TMA displays beautifully is just how often you’re likely to be misunderstood if you’re a sarcastic person who’s not massively outgoing…

Obviously it depends on the people and the place, but it’s genuinely such a common occurrence. As a tired introvert who’s very sarcastic, people often assume I either don’t like them, or am just not a very nice person!

And it’s not even all about ‘getting’ sarcasm or picking up on the change of tone, it’s also about whether or not you’d actually expect that person to be sarcastic in the first place! Jon’s very serious, but he’s also incredibly sarcastic with a great sense of humor; if you’re only expecting a boring office guy, that’s all your likely to see!

I think if from the start his coworkers had picked up on his sense of humor they’d have avoided a whole host of problems. But that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? The way that expectations and assumptions can shape not only relationships, but the entire pathway of a lifetime.

If Martin, Tim, and Sasha had assumed Jon was on their side from the start and Jon had assumed they were on his, perhaps they could have all survived.