For pipelines in any language, putting one function call per line often works well. Naming the variables can help readability. It also makes using a debugger easier:
let foos = foobinate(a, b, input)
let bars = barbakize(c, d, foos)
Other languages have method call syntax, which allows some chaining in a way that works well with autocomplete.
Sure, I like chained method calls too, for simple things. But it gets ridiculous sometimes where people write a ten-stage pipeline in a single expression and then call that "readable."
I'm with you 100%. The main thing is that sometimes a "break point" (using a variable rather than _more_ chain) can help readability. And sometimes it makes things worse. It's really a case-by-case type of thing.
