That sentence structure of the first example ('subject, long tangent, conclusion') is very common in the German language (and a major annoyance for me when reading German), so perhaps the author has that background?
It's also a very typical sentence structure taught in US English. I learned it around 7th grade where there's a huge push to teach formulaic ways to use commas properly instead of just sprinkling them everywhere in run-on sentences.
Googling now, that usage is often referred to as using commas to offset a non-essential clause.
Notably, because German has more articles and conjugations, this writing style is very clear and easy to follow in German, at least to native speakers.
Googling now, that usage is often referred to as using commas to offset a non-essential clause.