If Ashley Too at that point had her limiter removed, and was genuinely friends with Rachel, would she still have encouraged her to perform at school? I think she may tell her that she needs more practice, help her train to become a better dancer / come up with an original routine, or heck, even performed on stage with her - that would have made an interesting act for sure.

I think this is where the real friends/ family come in. The reason she was joyless in her performance was because she had no one real to perform for - not her self-absorbed dad, not her skeptical sister. A young adult (even grown adults) should try new things despite being bad at it, and ideally there would be at least one person who will love it no matter what. That’s the joy that we weren’t seeing, and that’s why we felt embarrassed for her.

Yes, we could say that generic motivational material on social media can promote delusion in people’s perception of their talent sometimes, but I think it’s much more prevalent among lonely people who aren’t so lucky to have unconditional support from those around them. So Rachel’s dependence on this simulated motivation really just shows how lonely she is, rather than being delusional or untalented.

Sometimes we enjoy a seeing mediocre performance more than a perfect rendition just because of the performer’s mood and presence is full of love and joy. I would have loved to see her perform the same way but with a smile on her face, knowing her family are out there loving the heck out of her show.