>>36939638Serena having nothing in mind is in fact one of the core parts of her character. She spends about 40 episodes not knowing what she wants to do, trying a few activities here and there. While she is traveling with Ash and he does encourage /inspire her, she takes that step diwn the path to being a Performer on her own.
If you didn't like her performances, well, that's basically different tastes, and no one will like everything.
Serena's main character arc is her finding a goal of her own instead of doing what she's told. Whether that person telling her what to do is her mom, Palermo the former Kalos Queen, or even Ash. She learns self reliance and independence, something Misty, Iris, and other girls already have in spades when Ash meets them. It's a different sort of arc, but again, if you don't like it, that's fine. Different strokes for different folks.