I would probably explicitly ask if they want to know what the episode is about. But only after seeing their confused reaction to the silence after the first ans

I would probably explicitly ask if they want to know what the episode is about. But only after seeing their confused reaction to the silence after the first answer. And that's a maybe. If you want to know something, ask it. Not everyone wants (or is able) to bother with deciphering what you think internally. The person in the article has many issues. But I don't consider giving straight answer to a straight question being one of them. People expecting others to conform to their way of communication without making an effort to meet others halfway are the main issue.