S04E07 - Transfer Credit

"Transfer Credit" is the seventh episode of Season 4 of We Can Fix Pawbert. Pawbert receives his GYU re-enrollment confirmation and commits to Social Work, writing his personal statement with the pack's support.

Synopsis

Pawbert learns his re-enrollment at GYU has been approved and returns to campus to change his major from Business to Social Work. With guidance from a peer student and Luther's coaching, he writes an unflinching personal statement acknowledging his crimes and submits his application.

Plot

Pawbert wakes on Sunday morning to discover the email he has been obsessively refreshing: his re-enrollment at Gnu York University has been approved. All holds on his account have been cleared. The message arrived the previous afternoon while he was on a log flume at Deersneyland, soaking wet and laughing. He wakes Luther with the news, and the pack gathers in the kitchen where Judy wraps him in a hug and Nick points out the cosmic timing of joy arriving while Pawbert wasn't looking for it. When asked about returning to his Business degree, Pawbert announces he wants to pursue Social Work instead—a choice he's been considering quietly since meeting Sorrel at Zootopia Reentry Services.

The following morning, Luther drops Pawbert at GYU's Savanna Central Hub. The campus feels vast and open—no walls, no guards, just mammals moving freely. Pawbert meets with Ms. Herdler, an academic advisor, who reviews his transcript and confirms that many of his Business courses will transfer. He won't be starting from scratch, but he'll need to complete the Social Work core curriculum, field placements, and practicum hours. She recommends an information session for prospective Social Work students that afternoon.

Dr. Nara Halestone, the Field Placement Coordinator, delivers the information session with unflinching clarity. She explains that Social Work is not about saving people—rescue implies hierarchy, as if the helper knows better than those being helped. Instead, Social Work means helping mammals access dignity and resources while respecting their autonomy. If someone wants perfection, she suggests accounting; if they want presence, they should choose Social Work. She also warns that lived experience in systems like corrections can be both an asset and a pressure point.

In Pawbst Library, Pawbert stares at a blank document, unable to write his personal statement. Everything sounds like confession or apology. A fellow student, an otter named Etta, notices his struggle and sits down uninvited. She recognizes him from the news—the Lionheart incident, the broadcast—but instead of judgment, she offers advice: write like he's telling the truth to someone who has to do paperwork about it. Cut the performance. Let the committee decide if the truth is worth admitting. Pawbert gets her number as a peer contact.

At his scheduled parole check-in, Murray Burrows reviews Pawbert's week. When Pawbert mentions changing his major to Social Work, Murray warns him that background checks may limit his field placement options—some agencies won't work with felons. But Murray also offers rare encouragement, noting that most mammals who come through his office are just trying to check boxes and stay out of trouble. It's rare that someone actually builds something during their supervision.

That evening, in Luther's library at the mansion, Pawbert drafts and redrafts his personal statement. Luther brings tea and sits nearby, present without hovering. When Pawbert reads his ending aloud, Luther identifies the problem: the statement sounds like an apology, like Pawbert is still writing from prison. Luther tells him to write like he survived, not like he's still being held. Pawbert deletes the apology and starts again.

The pack gathers behind Pawbert to read the final statement. It is unflinching: he acknowledges that he tried to kill people with premeditation and intent, that the Lynxley name will follow him into every room, that some mammals will only ever see a criminal when they look at him. He is not applying to Social Work to erase what he did. He is asking for the chance to be useful in a way that does not require power over others. Nick, stripped of his usual deflecting humor, simply says it's really good. Judy's eyes are wet. Luther tells him to submit it before he finds a reason to doubt it. Pawbert copies the text into the application portal and clicks submit. The confirmation message appears: a decision will arrive within one to two weeks. The future—his future, the one he chose—has officially begun.

Key Moments

• Pawbert discovers his GYU re-enrollment has been approved while the pack is gathered at breakfast
• Nick points out that the email arrived while Pawbert was on a log flume at Deersneyland
• Pawbert announces he wants to pursue Social Work instead of returning to Business
• Ms. Herdler confirms that many of Pawbert's Business courses will transfer to Social Work requirements
• Dr. Halestone's information session reframes Social Work as helping mammals access dignity, not saving them
• Etta, a fellow student, recognizes Pawbert from the news and offers advice on cutting performance from his writing
• Murray Burrows warns about background check limitations but encourages Pawbert's choice to build something
• Luther coaches Pawbert through the personal statement, helping him write from survival rather than apology
• The pack gathers to read Pawbert's unflinching statement acknowledging his crimes
• Nick offers genuine praise without his usual deflection
• Pawbert submits his application and the pack celebrates with ice cream

Key Lines

Characters Introduced

Locations

• Pawthorne Mansion --- Master bedroom, kitchen, Luther's library
• GYU Savanna Central Hub --- Pawsington Square, Silvermane Center, Pawbst Library
• Parole Office --- Murray Burrows's office

Items

• GYU approval email --- Received Saturday (during Deersneyland trip), discovered Sunday morning; clears all holds on Pawbert's account
• Luther's old laptop --- Given to Pawbert for statement writing
• Personal statement --- Full text of "Why Social Work?" shown in episode; the only time in the series a complete Pawbert document is displayed
• Application confirmation --- Change of major application submitted; decision within 1-2 weeks
• Etta's number --- Social Work peer contact exchanged in library

Notes

• This episode takes place on Days 13-14 (Sunday-Monday, Week 3) of Pawbert's freedom.
• The personal statement is the only time in the series that a full written document by Pawbert is shown in its entirety.
• Dr. Halestone's philosophy of "dignity and resources" directly influences Pawbert's later approach at ZRS.
• Etta becomes a peer contact at GYU, returning in later episodes.
• Murray's warning about background checks for field placements foreshadows the challenges in Solo Shift.
• Nick's "stupid joy works" callback refers to his advice in Day Pass about needing stupid joy.
• Luther's library is established as Pawbert's study space at the mansion.