Miscommunication
"All of this mess wouldn't have happened if they just decided to talk"
This is a critique I've heard a lot about some stories. Admittedly, I've used that critique myself in cases like... idk, Fire Emblem Three Houses. I mean, things between two parties happening because of miscommunication feel a lot cheaper than grandiose clashes of ideals. And it also feels a bit infuriating: why would you actively make things worse for yourself? Are they stupid?
A couple of days ago, I watched a reel defending this trope using a certain scene from Apothecary Diaries season 2 (the frog scene, you know the one). Funny enough, I've been watching season 2 lately and I won't say I'm completely on board with the example, but it made me start thinking: can the miscommunication trope be done in a good way?
The answer came to me thanks to another story I'm experiencing lately, The House in Fata Morgana, specifically the story from Door 5 (light spoilers ahead), when the female protagonist experiences horrible things because she didn't talk when the male protagonist asks her reasons for doing things in the past he doesn't agree with. There's a reason why she doesn't speak and I think this simple fact is the actual key.
People don't talk to each other all the time, even when not talking hurts them. They might be scared, they might be under pressure, they might not know how the other will take the informations, they might be afraid of not being trusted, they might be worried they will hurt someone, they might believe that, even if they talk, nothing will change. I know this very well, I'm a masterclass in not talking to the people I care about when I should do it.
What I want to say is that miscommunication can be a tool, not to make the story progress in a certain way, but to give depth to a character. I actually really like when it is used this way.