Common sense and better communications would have made this flight safer and more pleasant for all concerned.
The Captain I suspect was probably brassed off because he felt abondoned/thirsty/hungry and generally neglected by his own crew.
At night when your flight crew might be tired a 20 minute check makes sense hence the FCO. In the current environment a flight that did not answer the radio for 20 minutes might find a couple of fighters alongside or worse..... So checking on the flight crew at sensible intervals is a must.
If cabin crew are ineffective they have to be given feedback and if necessary retrained. The same goes for flight crew which is why so many well run airlines have excellent safety records and others do not!
This brings me back to the main point which is safety based. The FCO is there for a reason and subject to discussion with your flight crew you would be safest sticking to it. If that means that the passengers do not get the service they feel entitled too then feed it back up the line and either get more staff or get rid of those that can't cope. Harsh perhaps but par for the course for flight crew.
Regards BP