S01E08 - Clear Skies
"Clear Skies" is the eighth episode of Season 1 of We Can Fix Pawbert.
Synopsis
The team dismantles "Mosaic," a Lynxley-operated blackmail network targeting city officials. Pawbert comes out as gay to Nick and Luther, revealing that his father used his sexuality as leverage, and discloses the disappearance of his first love, Soren.
Plot
In a ceramic studio in the Canal District, an unidentified figure assembles small ceramic tiles, each painted with a photograph transferred onto clay—faces, documents, compromising moments frozen in glaze. The figure confirms that fourteen packages are ready for delivery to high-value targets including judges, councilmembers, and a police captain, using the phrase "clear skies for the board" as authorization.
At Site Two, Luther briefs the team on five city officials who have come forward after receiving anonymous packages containing ceramic tile fragments and notes reading "We know." The fact that anyone reported the blackmail at all marks a shift—a year ago, the Lynxley name would have kept everyone silent. Luther explains that the operation is called Mosaic, where each tile represents a piece of leverage that, assembled together, forms a complete picture of control over the city. Pawbert recognizes the phrase "clear skies for the board" as something his father used to say after business meetings to his siblings. He'd asked once what it meant and was told not to ask questions he didn't want answered.
During a therapy session with Dr. Fuzzby, Pawbert grows agitated, confessing that if Mosaic has his father's files, they might have something personal on him—something his father would have killed him for. He cannot bring himself to say more, but the weight of it hangs between them.
An intercepted package reveals Nick's own past being used as leverage against Judge Manton. Photos from over a decade ago show a younger Nick in the middle of a hustle, with documentation proving Manton hired Nick to handle problems quietly before he became a judge. Nick brushes it off as old news—he's spent enough time being ashamed of who he was. Judy checks on him quietly, and he admits that an annoying rabbit who wouldn't leave him alone was his reason for changing.
In the kitchen, Pawbert's paws shake as he makes tea. Luther notices he's been spiraling since the morning. When Nick enters, Pawbert decides to tell them what the Mosaic files have on him. He comes out as gay, explaining that his father documented everything—photos, records, proof of something Milton considered an aberration. Nick's reaction is simply to ask "And?" Neither he nor Luther understand why this matters until Pawbert clarifies that his family cared very much, and someone paid for it.
Pawbert reveals that there was someone when he was younger—a lynx named Soren. They were careful, but Milton found out. Soren's family supposedly moved away, but Pawbert knows what his father was capable of. He never saw Soren again and has never known what truly happened. Luther tells him that whatever occurred is on his father, not on him, and that shame only works when you believe it. Nick adds that who Pawbert loves isn't something to be ashamed of—the only mammals who should be ashamed are the ones who made him feel that way. When Pawbert admits he's never told anyone before, Luther simply responds that now he has.
Luther traces the glaze on the intercepted tiles to a specific kiln signature, leading to a shell company that pays rent on a warehouse on Tujunga in the Canal District—the same area where Gasket operated. The team raids the warehouse that night, moving through a storage facility containing decades of leverage material organized with the precision of a museum archive. They capture a ferret operative caught mid-production at a workbench surrounded by ceramic tiles and a still-warm kiln.
Back at Site Two, the team sorts through boxes of seized blackmail material—officials, business leaders, cops, teachers, doctors, anyone with something to hide. Luther finds a sealed file labeled "P. LYNXLEY" and brings it to Pawbert. The seal is intact; no one has ever accessed it. Inside are surveillance photos of teenage Pawbert with Soren—both young, laughing together, holding paws, a stolen kiss in a garden. Pawbert in the photos looks genuinely happy in a way the team has never seen.
When Pawbert says he wants to destroy the file, Luther acknowledges that doing so would be destroying evidence, then tells Nick and Judy he's going to step outside to check the perimeter. The three of them leave without another word. Alone, Pawbert crosses to the emergency burn barrel, drops the file in, and lights a match. He watches the photos of his happiest moments with Soren curl and burn until they're ash, destroying the leverage his father had kept to control him.
In his final therapy session of the episode, Pawbert tells Fuzzby that he told Nick and Luther what he couldn't tell her before. They didn't judge him—they just accepted it. The realization that not everyone shares his father's views is beginning to take hold. Fuzzby observes that saying the thing he'd been most afraid to say took courage. Pawbert disagrees; it doesn't feel like courage, just less weight. She tells him that sometimes that's exactly what courage is—setting down things you've been carrying.
With the Mosaic network dismantled, news reports scroll across the monitors showing indictments and arrests. Luther identifies "The Vault"—the banker who managed Milton's offshore accounts—as their next target. Late that night, Pawbert stands alone before the investigation board. Mosaic is crossed off, but other names remain. His name isn't on the board as a target or a threat anymore. He's on the other side now. He touches his chest where the shame used to live. It's still there, but lighter. Less. A start.
Key Moments
- An unidentified figure assembles ceramic blackmail tiles in a Canal District studio
- Five city officials come forward after receiving Mosaic blackmail packages
- Pawbert recognizes "clear skies for the board" as a phrase his father used with his siblings
- Pawbert confides to Fuzzby that the Mosaic files might contain something personal his father could have killed him for
- Nick's old hustling photographs surface as leverage being used against Judge Manton
- Nick reveals to Judy that she was his reason for changing
- Pawbert comes out as gay to Nick and Luther in the Site Two kitchen
- Pawbert reveals his first love Soren, a lynx who disappeared after Milton discovered their relationship
- Luther and Nick respond with acceptance, telling Pawbert shame only works if he believes it
- The team raids the Tujunga warehouse and captures a ferret operative with decades of blackmail material
- Luther finds a sealed file labeled "P. LYNXLEY" containing surveillance photos of teenage Pawbert with Soren
- Luther, Nick, and Judy deliberately leave so Pawbert can burn his file in private
- Pawbert destroys the evidence his father kept to control him
- Pawbert tells Fuzzby he said the thing he was most afraid to say, and it feels like less weight
- The Vault is identified as the investigation's next target
- Pawbert stands alone at the board, realizing he's on the other side now
Key Lines
| Line | Speaker | Context |
|---|---|---|
| "Clear skies for the board." | Mosaic operative | Authorization code for blackmail operation |
| "I'm gay." | Pawbert | Coming out to Nick and Luther |
| "My family cared. They cared very much. And someone paid for it." | Pawbert | Explaining why his sexuality was dangerous |
| "Shame only works when you believe it. And you don't have to believe it anymore." | Luther | Responding to Pawbert's confession |
| "I've never told anyone." / "Now you have." | Pawbert / Luther | After Pawbert comes out |
| "I'm going to step outside. Check the perimeter." | Luther | Giving Pawbert privacy to burn his file |
| "It doesn't feel like courage. It just feels like... less weight." | Pawbert | To Fuzzby after destroying the file |
| "Sometimes that's what courage is. Setting down things you've been carrying." | Dr. Fuzzby | Reframing Pawbert's action |
Characters Introduced
| Character | Species | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Soren | Lynx | Pawbert's first love (appears in surveillance photos only; disappeared after Milton discovered the relationship) |
Locations
- Ceramic studio, Canal District (Mosaic tile assembly)
- Site Two (team operations, coming out scene, sorting seized material)
- Tujunga warehouse, Canal District (raid; ferret operative captured)
Items
- Ceramic blackmail tiles - Mosaic's method of delivering compromising photographs to targets
- "We know" notes - Messages accompanying blackmail packages to city officials
- Nick's old hustling photos - Documentation of Nick's past being used as leverage against Judge Manton
- P. LYNXLEY file (sealed) - Surveillance photos of teenage Pawbert with Soren; burned by Pawbert
- Emergency burn barrel - Container Pawbert uses to destroy his file
- Investigation board - Updated with Mosaic crossed off and "The Vault" as next target
Notes
- This episode is a pivotal character moment as Pawbert's coming out recontextualizes his relationship with his father's control and reveals the true cost of Milton's surveillance of his own family.
- Soren's disappearance becomes a recurring emotional thread; his fate represents one of Pawbert's deepest fears about what his father was capable of.
- Luther's decision to leave so Pawbert can burn his file without an audience demonstrates the trust developing between them and his understanding of what Pawbert needs.