S02E21 - Found Family
"Found Family" is the twenty-first episode of Season 2 of We Can Fix Pawbert. Set on November 26th, approximately one week after the siege, it follows the pack as they celebrate Pawbert's birthday.
Synopsis
The pack celebrates Pawbert's birthday with an outing to the Sahara Square markets and Pawddington the Musical. Judy presents the repaired green sweater, Luther gives Pawbert a STAY notebook, and Gary De'Snake arrives as a surprise guest.
Plot
Pawbert wakes on November 26th to the smell of coffee and cooking. His shoulder still aches from the bullet wound sustained during the siege, but the sounds of laughter draw him from bed. In the kitchen, he finds Luther at the stove while Nick attempts to mix pancake batter with theatrical confidence. Judy arranges fruit with methodical precision. When they notice him, Nick announces that the birthday boy is forbidden from cooking—today, the pack will take care of him. Pawbert watches the three mammals move around each other with the ease of those who have learned each other's rhythms, remembering how different his birthday felt the year before.
Over breakfast, the pack proposes an outing into the city. Pawbert hesitates, noting that his face has been on every screen for days, but Luther reminds him that Zootopia saw him refuse a crown. Judy suggests Sahara Square markets and a show—Pawddington the Musical, about a bear who finds his family far from home. Pawbert agrees. In their bedroom before leaving, Luther checks his shoulder and offers to stay behind if it is too much. Pawbert insists he wants to do something normal with the mammals he loves.
The pack travels through the city, watching the districts blur past. Nick teases Pawbert for brooding out the window. At Sahara Square, they wander through the markets—Nick acquiring snacks, Judy examining handcrafted items, Luther staying close to Pawbert's side. No one stares or points. Pawbert is just another mammal in the crowd, anonymous in a way he never expected to experience. Then a female camel approaches, a weathered worker who reveals that her daughter works at the Central Weather Interface. She thanks Pawbert for refusing Clawrence's offer, recognizing that her daughter could have been among the dead. The encounter leaves Pawbert shaken, processing what it means to be seen not as a Lynxley or a criminal, but as someone who made the right choice.
At the Rainforest District theater, they watch Pawddington—a story of a small bear who arrives alone in a strange city and finds a family who chooses him. Pawbert cries silently through the second act, making no attempt to hide his tears. Luther's paw holds his throughout. After the show, Nick admits the bear got to him too. Luther remarks that the story reminded him of someone who came into a strange place and found his family anyway. Pawbert leans into his side as they walk to the car.
Back at Site Two, Nick and Judy disappear into the kitchen with suspicious efficiency. Luther guides Pawbert to the couch and produces a small wrapped package. Inside is a green cloth notebook embossed with "STAY" in gold. The first page reads "ALWAYS - Luther." The rest of the pages are blank, waiting to be filled with evidence of who Pawbert is becoming. Pawbert pulls Luther close and tells him he loves him. From the kitchen, Nick announces that cake is ready.
The cake is lopsided, clearly homemade, with icing that reads "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR FAVORITE FELON." Pawbert laughs—a real laugh, the kind he had forgotten he was capable of. Judy then presents the repaired green sweater, the bullet hole stitched closed with careful, invisible mending. She explains that she could not eliminate the stitching entirely, but that scars tell stories too. Pawbert puts on the sweater, feeling it settle against his fur like coming home.
A knock at the door reveals Gary De'Snake—the pit viper invited by Nick and Judy as a surprise. Gary's arrival brings back the memory of their first meeting: the reptile whose great-grandmother designed the weather walls, the friend who forgave Pawbert before anyone else did. Gary acknowledges both Pawbert's original crime—trying to burn Agnes's patent—and his refusal to let Clawrence weaponize her legacy. When Pawbert explains that he refused because it was the right thing to do, Gary responds that this is exactly why it matters. Before leaving, Gary tells Pawbert privately that he has become someone good, that Gary always knew he could.
After Gary departs and Nick and Judy retire for the night, Pawbert and Luther share an intimate evening. For the first time, Pawbert asks to reverse their usual dynamic, wanting to give Luther the vulnerability Luther has always offered him. Luther consents. Afterward, knotted together in the dark, Pawbert asks if Luther will be there when he gets out. Luther's answer is the same as always.
In the quiet of the tag, Pawbert lies awake thinking about his mother, who called him "loud and determined." Milton spent fifteen years trying to silence that child. But surrounded by mammals who chose him, Pawbert wonders if maybe the loud and determined child is not dead—just buried, waiting to be dug back out through found family.
Key Moments
- The pack makes breakfast for Pawbert, forbidding him from cooking on his birthday
- Pawbert agrees to an outing despite fears about public recognition
- A camel vendor at Sahara Square thanks Pawbert for protecting her daughter
- Pawbert experiences being anonymous in the city for the first time
- The pack attends Pawddington the Musical; Pawbert cries silently throughout
- Luther presents the STAY notebook as a birthday gift
- Judy returns the repaired green sweater with the bullet hole stitched closed
- Gary De'Snake arrives as a surprise guest and thanks Pawbert for protecting Agnes's legacy
- Gary privately affirms that Pawbert has become someone good
- Pawbert initiates role reversal during intimacy, asking to give Luther vulnerability
- Pawbert asks Luther if he will be there when he gets out
- Pawbert reflects on whether the "loud and determined" child his mother knew might be recoverable through found family
Key Lines
| Line | Speaker | Context |
|---|---|---|
| "The birthday boy isn't allowed to cook today." | Nick | Cold open; pack inverting Pawbert's usual role |
| "You always. Today, we do." | Nick | Explaining why Pawbert cannot cook |
| "You're allowed to have one good day, Pawbert." | Judy | Encouraging the outing |
| "You could have had everything. You said no." | Vendor | Recognition and gratitude at Sahara Square |
| "My daughter's alive because mammals like you exist." | Vendor | Thanking Pawbert for his choice |
| "Different kind of famous." | Nick | After the recognition scene |
| "STAY" / "ALWAYS - Luther" | Notebook | Luther's gift; inscription on first page |
| "Scars tell stories too." | Judy | Presenting the repaired green sweater |
| "Permission to hug?" | Gary | His catchphrase, returning |
| "You protected what she built. Even after everything you did to us." | Gary | Acknowledging both Pawbert's crime and growth |
| "Found family." | Gary / Pawbert | Episode title; thematic statement |
| "I'm proud of you. You became someone good. I always knew you could." | Gary | Private affirmation before departure |
| "Will you be there when I get out?" / "Always." | Pawbert / Luther | Final emotional beat; core promise reaffirmed |
| "Maybe found family is how you dig yourself back out." | Pawbert (internal) | Tag; connecting recovery to pack |
Locations
| Location | Description |
|---|---|
| Site Two | Birthday celebration |
| Sahara Square markets | Outing |
| Rainforest District theater | Pawddington the Musical |
Items
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Green sweater | Repaired by Judy; "Scars tell stories too" |
| STAY notebook | Luther's gift; embossed "STAY," first page "ALWAYS - Luther" |
| Birthday cake | "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR FAVORITE FELON" |
End Credit Song
"One Of Us" (From 'Paddington The Musical'), Tom Fletcher
The song opens with a plea: "There's a hundred different reasons why he shouldn't stay." There are. Pawbert tried to kill Judy. He tried to kill Nick. He burned evidence and left Gary to freeze. A hundred reasons, easily. But the song's answer is the pack's answer: "If he's looking for family, then he's already one of us." Not will be. Already is. The lyrics capture what happened to Nick, Judy, and Luther without any of them planning it: "From the moment I saw his face, the second I heard his voice, something fell into place, like I never had a choice. Didn't know you were incomplete, but it was so obvious." The pack didn't know they were missing something until Pawbert filled the space. The episode earns this—Gary arrives to thank Pawbert for protecting Agnes's legacy, the pack watches Pawddington the Musical (itself about a bear who finds his family), and Luther's "Always" closes the night. But the song's most devastating line lands in the tag, as Pawbert lies awake wondering if the "loud and determined" child his mother knew might still be recoverable: "I've tried painting the future but I'm never finished—how come I can't paint tomorrow without him in it?" The pack can't imagine tomorrow without him either. He's already one of them.
Notes
- Pawddington the Musical is the Zootopia-universe version of Paddington the Musical; the story's themes of belonging and found family mirror Pawbert's journey.
- The STAY notebook continues the "stay"/"always" motif from S01E13 and becomes one of Pawbert's most treasured possessions.
- This episode marks the first time Pawbert initiates a role reversal in intimacy, asking to give Luther the vulnerability Luther has always offered him.