Palpatine’s return would’ve worked better if it had any foreshadowing or logical buildup in either TFA or TLJ.
Since all 3 sequel movies basically aren’t connected to the previous, none of the revelations or plot swerves flow organically.
Regardless of whether you love or hate Rian, TLJ was the speedbump that threw off any narrative flow throughout the trilogy. So, really, whatever ROS came up with, Palp or no Palp, would not have fit.