TestingOutTheTest said:
On that topic, how he survived is explained, and this explanation relies on inference.

That’s the thing. It needs more than a “Somehow Palpatine returned” and some half-assed possibilities brought up immediately later for the audience to suspend disbelief. If it were for inference one could make endless headcanons or possible explanations to fill in the blanks, maybe with reasoned and solid arguments, but it doesn’t make up for the fact they didn’t explain how Palps survived in a satisfactory way that doesn’t require reading a novelisation or visual dictionary. And the audience deserves better than that.

Palpatine being brought back could have been a fine plot development but for another sequel trilogy that set up his looming presence accordingly. The way they included him is an ass pull, no matter how many retcons they introduce.