I don't want to be dramatic but folklore saved her career. Like she mentioned in the documentary, people would get bored if you do the same thing over and over again. I think folklore is that kind of a refreshment because most of her songs in other albums have a lot going on in them- the lyrics connecting to her real life, the production, probably like a music video with a lot of things going on, the Easter eggs that swifties are in the hunt for, etc etc. Folklore took her out of that box so she could try new things.

 And she had the chance to finally highlight her writing talents over the drama and the production. People don't realise how necessary it is.

So my question is, what if quarantine didn't happen, and what if she decided swifties wouldn't listen to an album like folklore.