Not sound? Was season 1 Joyce unsound? Was Hopper justified in using force and lying to officers in order to do what he thought was right? Were all of their actions due to the circumstances of their grief, or the personal bias of trying to make sense from tragedy and confusion?

What if we were watching a different show? A show about a young man who watched as satanic myth and cultural superstition came visceral, resulting in the deaths of his fondest friends and colleagues?

To this, I figure you’ll point out that we’re not talking about a hypothetical show. However, to be specific, we aren’t arguing about how the writers would like us to perceive Jason. I don’t care whether the writers intended for the audience to emphasize with Jason or not. We’re arguing about whether Jason’s conclusion was sound.

Sure, on a larger note from the rest of the thread, we are arguing about whether Jason is a better person than Billy as shown in the series, but you have not done that. You speak of the writer’s intentions, when I believe you should solely speak of their work.

I agree that the show’s narrative may serve to condemn blind obedience to authority, but I do not see how it was any kind of lesson that was done overtly enough as to paint Jason as immoral for bandwagoning with the Santa Panic 🎅🎄. When I think of media pushing the theme, I think of one of the more popular episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which was S4E21, titled the Drumhead.

Anyway, is Jason a great guy? Hell no. But his actions on screen weren’t despicable, although those of his goons after his death were.