S03E08 - A Wanted Mammal
"A Wanted Mammal" is the eighth and final episode of Season 3 of We Can Fix Pawbert.
Synopsis
The pack converges on City Hall to stop Leodore Lionheart's coup. Nick disperses the manufactured crowd by invoking the Night Howler case. Luther is betrayed by the ZSI wolf and exposed on live television -- both his Cliffside past and his relationship with Pawbert. Mayor Winddancer delivers his signature kick to defeat Lionheart. Luther's undercover career ends, and Pawbert voluntarily returns to prison with eight months remaining.
Plot
The episode opens on Lionheart's live broadcast from City Hall's press room. Every screen in Zootopia carries his image as he stands before the city seal, Mayor Winddancer zip-tied to a chair behind him, the ZSI wolf traitor standing at attention beside the podium. Lionheart offers an ultimatum: Winddancer resigns, and Lionheart takes his rightful place. Through the window behind him, the manufactured crowd fills the plaza, signs waving, chants building.
At the plaza, Nick begins systematically dismantling the manufactured movement. Using the manifest from Dead End Station, he and Judy identify and arrest paid agitators one by one—a wallaby with a megaphone near the fountain, an aardwolf leading chanters at the east entrance, a koala, a pangolin, a pair of meerkats working in tandem. Officer Fangmeyer processes arrests while the Razorbacks spread through the crowd. With each removal, the energy shifts. The chanting becomes uneven. The manufactured unity fractures.
Luther and Pawbert enter City Hall through an unlocked service entrance. Luther is barely standing—cracked ribs, knife wounds, accumulated damage from the train—but refuses to stop. They fight through service corridors, eliminating guards at junctions and checkpoints. At a third-floor intersection, they encounter another gray wolf in ZSI tactical gear who claims to be on their side, badge number 373, Special Activities Division. Luther accepts him as an ally. They move toward the press room together.
The wolf betrays them the moment they enter. His weapon shifts from the guards to Luther's head, then to Pawbert's chest. Luther is forced to surrender his weapon and kneel. Lionheart recognizes both mammals—Pawbert as Milton's son, and Luther as one of the Cliffside wolf guards who dragged savage mammals away without due process four years earlier. On live television, Lionheart exposes everything: Luther's past, Luther's relationship with Pawbert, the interspecies nature of their bond. He frames it as proof of institutional corruption, evidence that the mammals who condemned him were no better than he was.
Outside, Nick climbs onto a bench near one of the giant screens and addresses the remaining crowd. He identifies himself as Officer Nick Wilde, the fox who solved the Night Howler case with the rabbit now standing beside him. He points to the screens where Lionheart is still talking, still exposing, still condemning. Four years ago, Nick explains, Mayor Lionheart locked up innocent mammals without trials and called it protection—and he just admitted it on camera. He just admitted to having ZSI agents on his payroll for years. He just admitted this whole rally is fake. Nick offers them a choice: stay and chant for a mammal who just admitted to false imprisonment and corruption, or go home and let ZPD do their jobs. The crowd begins to disperse. One mammal, then another, then families and groups streaming away in every direction. Within minutes, the plaza is half-empty. The manufactured movement collapses.
In the press room, Lionheart's nervous lemur staffer reports that the crowd is leaving. The lion crosses to the window, sees his movement dissolving, and the ZSI wolf's attention drifts for a single critical second. Luther moves. He grabs the wolf's gun arm, twists the weapon free, drives the grip into the traitor's temple. The wolf drops. Luther fires twice, taking down the honey badger and a painted wolf. He dismantles the remaining guards in seconds—the margay, another painted wolf, a panther caught by Pawbert's thrown chair. The jaguar surrenders without a fight. Winddancer rises from his chair with his wrists still zip-tied behind his back, delivers a headbutt that cracks across Lionheart's muzzle, then his signature kick—the one from his action star days—that sends the lion crashing into the camera equipment. The broadcast cuts to static across every screen in Zootopia.
On the City Hall steps, the pack reunites. Judy embraces Pawbert, crying, telling him they were always coming. Nick sits beside Luther and makes a pun about the Special Activities Division acronym. Luther finally confesses to Pawbert: he was one of Lionheart's wolves, part of SAD, following orders without knowing the full scope. He helped drag those mammals away. Pawbert responds with unconditional love rather than forgiveness—the wolf who dragged innocent mammals to cages wouldn't have spent four years trying to make it right. Nick offers Pawbert an escape: he could run, disappear, start over somewhere. Pawbert refuses. Running would undo everything—the trial, the testimony, the waiting. He made his choice a long time ago. Luther establishes the new promise: eight months remaining. Finite. A countdown to reunion rather than endless waiting.
The next morning, Director Ramshorn informs Luther that his undercover career is over. The broadcast exposed his face, his division, everything. The Special Activities Division is being dismantled. Luther is reassigned to ZPD-ZSI liaison—off-field, visible, a new kind of service. At ZPD headquarters, Chief Bogo feeds a stack of complaints about the pack into his shredder, one by one, then has Clawhauser bring more to feed in as well.
Pawbert returns to ZCF on Day 127. Officer Kett processes him through intake with characteristic terseness. Dr. Venn welcomes him back for his first session since the breach, acknowledging his growth—he's done the work, faced the hardest parts of himself, chosen again and again to be better. In the visitation room, the pack gathers across the painted line. Eight months. Finite. That night, Pawbert lies in Cell 3C-17 and writes in his recovered STAY notebook: he could have run, multiple times, but he chose to stay. Eight months. Finite. He's going to make it.
Key Moments
- Nick and Judy systematically arrest paid agitators across City Hall plaza
- Nick climbs onto a bench and addresses the remaining crowd, invoking the Night Howler case
- The manufactured crowd disperses; Lionheart's movement collapses
- Luther and Pawbert fight through City Hall corridors, accepting a gray wolf as an ally
- The ZSI wolf betrays them in the press room, forcing both to their knees at gunpoint
- Lionheart exposes Luther's Cliffside past on live television
- Lionheart publicly reveals Luther and Pawbert's interspecies relationship
- Luther seizes a moment of distraction to disarm the traitor and clear the guards
- Winddancer headbutts Lionheart and delivers his signature kick
- The broadcast cuts to static as Lionheart crashes into the camera equipment
- The pack reunites on City Hall steps; Judy embraces Pawbert
- Nick makes a pun about SAD (Special Activities Division)
- Luther confesses his Cliffside guilt to Pawbert
- Pawbert responds with unconditional love rather than forgiveness
- Nick offers Pawbert the option to escape; Pawbert refuses
- Luther and Pawbert establish "Finite" as their countdown promise
- Ramshorn ends Luther's undercover career; reassigns him to ZPD-ZSI liaison
- Bogo shreds complaints about the pack
- Pawbert returns to ZCF voluntarily on Day 127
- Dr. Venn acknowledges Pawbert's growth
- Final visitation: pack gathered across the painted line
- Final notebook entry: Pawbert chose to stay; finite but enough
Key Lines
| Line | Speaker | Context |
|---|---|---|
| "My fellow mammals." | Lionheart | Broadcast opening; continues from E07 |
| "Tonight, I offer you a choice. Winddancer resigns. I take my rightful place." | Lionheart | His ultimatum to the city |
| "Lynxley. Milton's boy. And... Agent Luther. From Cliffside." | Lionheart | Recognizing both mammals |
| "Did you really think I only had ONE loyal mammal in ZSI?" | Lionheart | Revealing the ZSI wolf traitor |
| "Yes." | Luther | Admitting Cliffside guilt on live broadcast |
| "Both male. Both different species. In a RELATIONSHIP." | Lionheart | Exposing Luther and Pawbert publicly |
| "So here's the thing—you can stay here and chant for a guy who just admitted to false imprisonment and corruption. Or you can GO HOME and let us do our jobs." | Nick | Dispersing the crowd |
| "Sir... the crowd is dispersing." | Lemur | To Lionheart; movement collapsing |
| "That's for the reptiles." | Winddancer | Headbutt to Lionheart |
| "And THAT'S for making me sit in that chair." | Winddancer | Signature kick |
| "So SAD. No wonder you always look sad." | Nick | Pun on Special Activities Division |
| "I love you more than anything you could ever do wrong." | Pawbert | Andor homage; unconditional love |
| "That's just love. Nothing you can do about that." | Pawbert | Response to Luther's "I don't deserve—" |
| "Running now would undo all of that." | Pawbert | Refusing Nick's offer to escape |
| "Eight months. That's all. And then you're out. For good." / "Finite. It's finite." | Luther | The countdown promise |
| "Your undercover career is over." / "Was it worth it?" / "Yes." | Ramshorn / Luther | Exchange about his sacrifice |
| "As far as I'm concerned, the mammals who filed these complaints can go to hell." | Bogo | Shredding complaints |
| "Don't make me regret the paperwork." | Kett | To Pawbert; almost a compliment |
| "I'm proud of you, Pawbert." | Dr. Venn | Acknowledging his growth |
| "Finite. But enough." | Pawbert | Final line of Season 3 |
Characters Introduced
| Character | Species | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Lemur staffer | Lemur | Nervous aide to Lionheart; reports crowd dispersing |
| Wallaby agitator | Wallaby | Paid agitator with megaphone; arrested by Nick and Judy |
| Aardwolf agitator | Aardwolf | Paid agitator who tries to turn crowd against ZPD |
| Corridor guards | Jackal, Serval, Mongoose, Meerkat, Weasel, Bobcat, Coyote, Wolverine, Tapir, Binturong | Lionheart's people guarding City Hall corridors |
| Press room guards | Jaguar, Panther, Honey Badger, Margay, 2 Painted Wolves | Lionheart's elite guards; defeated by Luther |
| Captain Hoggbottom | Pig | Razorbacks leader; helps arrest agitators |
| Officer Truffler | Pig | Razorbacks; helps arrest agitators |
| Officer Higgins | Hippo | Helps arrest pangolin agitator |
Locations
- City Hall — Plaza (bench where Nick addresses crowd, fountain area), service corridors (junctions, checkpoints, stairwells), press room, steps
- ZSI Headquarters — Ramshorn's office (Luther's reassignment)
- ZPD Headquarters — Bogo's office (complaints shredded)
- Zootopia Correctional Facility — Main entrance (intake), Dr. Venn's office, visitation room, Cell 3C-17
Items
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| STAY notebook | Recovered after breach; Day 127 entry documenting "Finite. But enough." |
| Laminated photo | Recovered after breach; returned to cell shelf |
| Paid agitators manifest | Used by Nick to expose and arrest plants by name and payment amount |
| Stolen pistol | Taken from jackal in corridors; used to clear press room |
| ZSI wolf's weapon | Used to betray Luther and Pawbert; taken by Luther after disarming |
| Complaints stack | Shredded by Bogo in quiet gesture of support for the pack |
End Credit Song
"For Good" (From 'Wicked'), Kristin Chenoweth & Idina Menzel
"For Good" closes the season three finale as the perfect musical thesis for Luther and Pawbert's journey through the limited series. The song's central message—that two people can fundamentally change each other for the better—speaks directly to the episode's climactic moments: Luther publicly confessing his role as a Cliffside wolf guard, and Pawbert responding not with condemnation but with unconditional love. Where "Words Fail" opened the series with Pawbert's desperate confession and breakdown, "For Good" answers it with transformation and forgiveness—Luther is no longer the wolf who followed orders blindly, and Pawbert is no longer Milton's broken victim who believes he deserves nothing. The duet format mirrors how both mammals have shaped each other: Luther taught Pawbert he was worth protecting; Pawbert taught Luther that redemption was possible. As Pawbert returns to prison with "Finite. But enough." on his lips and the pack bond stronger than ever, the song's promise—"Because I knew you, I have been changed for good"—becomes the earned truth of three seasons.
Notes
- This is the Season 3 finale.
- Luther's Cliffside secret is revealed: he was one of Lionheart's wolves at Cliffside Asylum, part of the Special Activities Division (SAD), which is dismantled after the revelations.
- Luther's undercover career permanently ends; his face is now publicly known.
- Lionheart is sent to a black-site facility, removing him from the series.
- Mayor Winddancer's signature kick references his action star past.
- Bogo's shredding of complaints is a recurring gesture of quiet support for the pack.
- Pawbert's exchange with Luther—"I love you more than anything you could ever do wrong." / "I don't deserve—" / "That's just love. Nothing you can do about that."—is a direct homage to the Disney+ series Andor. In the show, Maarva Andor tells her son Cassian, "I love you more than anything you could ever do wrong." The line captures the same theme of unconditional love in the face of moral failure, with Pawbert—himself a reformed criminal—now offering that same grace to Luther.
- The title is a pun on A Wanted Man (Jack Reacher). All Season 3 episode titles reference novels from the James Bond, Jack Reacher, or Jack Ryan series.