> Is the point of Web Components to service frameworks? I really don't see who the intended audience is, because any half decent framework is infinitely simpler to work with.

Originally Web Components were a response to web developers waiting for years to HTML elements like date pickers and such to be added to the standard. With web components, it will be possible to create such elements once and integrate them with every front-end project just like you'd use e.g. a <select>.

Using them as a framework for building web applications has mostly been propagated by e.g. Polymer, but as I and many others who have tried it can attest: that doesn't work too well.

Still, for components I think Web Components will be a great addition, and should combine nicely with React.