If part of these movies is about jerking fans around (which people on both sides seem to agree on)
What makes you think that’s true at all?
This has been discussed in these pages and across the internet. It’s how the movies are playing against fan expectations, while deliberately creating an impression in line with those expectations; it’s how they’re a commentary on Star Wars itself, part of what people mean when they discuss it being “meta”. I think Mithrandir’s post better describes what I’m talking about. On YouTube, David Stewart intelligently discusses it. It’s been said many times, many ways.