S04E09 - First Day
"First Day" is the ninth episode of Season 4 of We Can Fix Pawbert. Pawbert attends his first day of classes at GYU and confronts his family's legacy when the opening case study is Reptile Ravine.
Synopsis
Pawbert's first class with Dr. Dillamond opens with a case study on Reptile Ravine and his family's theft of the Weather Wall patent. When a classmate asks directly about growing up unaware, Pawbert answers honestly. He joins a group project team focused on Rainforest District accessibility and requests Zootopia Reentry Services as his field placement.
Plot
The morning begins with Luther making breakfast while Pawbert hovers nervously in the doorway, dressed nicer than he needs to be after changing twice. Luther grounds him with an embrace and the reminder that the hard part is done—he got in, now he just shows up. The pack carpools to GYU, with Nick offering characteristically backhanded encouragement: Pawbert walked into a prison and came out better than he went in, so a classroom isn't going to break him.
Pawbert's first class, UNDSWUS 55 with Dr. Dillamond, opens with a case study that makes his blood run cold: Reptile Ravine. The professor walks through the entire history—Agnes De'Snake's stolen patent, Ebenezer Lynxley's century-old fraud, the destruction of an entire community to bury the truth. When a zebra student asks directly what it was like growing up not knowing, every eye in the room turns to Pawbert. His first instinct is to deflect, but he's done hiding. He tells the truth: he grew up believing the official story, and when he discovered what his family actually did, he made the worst choices of his life trying to keep it buried. He's here because he wants to understand how he let himself become part of it.
Dr. Dillamond thanks him for his courage and reframes the moment for the class as an example of lived reality rather than abstract concepts. After class, Pawbert approaches the professor to clarify that he won't ask for special treatment. Dr. Dillamond acknowledges the difficulty and tells Pawbert he thinks he'll do well in the program—not despite his history, but because of how he's choosing to face it. As the conversation ends, Dr. Dillamond reveals that next week's case study will feature Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps as examples of speciesism in law enforcement. Pawbert snaps a photo of the preview slide and sends it to the pack group chat.
In Social Work Practice (UNDSWUS 31), Pawbert joins a group project team with Maya Chen-Reyes, an organized ocelot who immediately takes the lead; Hector Vidal, a talkative capybara from public health; and Jun Tanaka, a quiet tanuki with color-coded folders. When asked what issues he knows about, Pawbert draws on his experience: systems that don't work for the mammals they're supposed to help, administrative barriers that assume you already know how to navigate them. The team settles on Rainforest District vertical accessibility—the way service fragmentation based on canopy level creates barriers for lower-level residents who can't afford expensive lifts.
In Practicum Instruction with Dr. Halestone, Pawbert requests Zootopia Reentry Services as his field placement. He explains that Sorrel, the navigator there, is the reason he applied to Social Work at all—he used their services when he got out and wants to give back. Halestone acknowledges that personal connection can be both asset and vulnerability, then tells him to put ZRS as his first choice. In the hallway, Etta catches up with him to check on how the day went. When she hears about the Reptile Ravine material, she offers sympathy and suggests they get coffee sometime.
Luther picks Pawbert up with Nick and Judy in the back seat. Pawbert admits the day was intense, that he feels hollowed out rather than brave. Nick points out those aren't mutually exclusive. When Pawbert shares that next week the class will analyze Nick and Judy, Nick is delighted at being educational materials. At dinner, the pack processes the day together, with Luther offering the perspective that it doesn't have to feel like success—it just has to feel like showing up. Pawbert made it through. Tomorrow, he does it again.
Key Moments
- Luther grounds Pawbert with an embrace before his first day of classes
- Nick offers backhanded encouragement about surviving prison meaning a classroom won't break him
- Dr. Dillamond's UNDSWUS 55 course opens with a case study on Reptile Ravine
- A zebra student asks Pawbert directly what it was like growing up not knowing
- Pawbert answers honestly about trying to bury the truth when he discovered it
- Dr. Dillamond reframes the moment as lived reality for the class
- Dr. Dillamond privately encourages Pawbert after class
- Pawbert snaps a photo of the Nick and Judy case study preview slide
- Group project team formed with Maya, Hector, and Jun focused on Rainforest District accessibility
- Pawbert requests ZRS as his field placement with Dr. Halestone
- Etta checks in with Pawbert about his first day
- Nick is delighted to discover he and Judy are educational materials
- Luther reminds Pawbert that showing up is enough
Key Lines
| Line | Speaker | Context |
|---|---|---|
| "First day of becoming something you chose." | Luther | Grounding Pawbert before class |
| "You walked into a prison and came out better than you went in. A classroom isn't going to break you." | Nick | Encouragement in the car |
| "I didn't know. And when I found out, I made the worst choices of my life trying to keep it buried." | Pawbert | Answering the zebra student's question in class |
| "I don't get to look away from it. That's the point, isn't it?" | Pawbert | To Dr. Dillamond after class |
| "Not despite your history—because of how you're choosing to face it." | Dr. Dillamond | Affirming Pawbert's approach |
| "DID HE PUT OUR PHOTO IN A POWERPOINT?" | Nick | Reaction to the case study preview |
| "We're CASE STUDIES, Carrots. We've made it." | Nick | Celebrating being educational materials |
| "One class at a time. Same way you did everything else." | Luther | Car ride comfort |
| "It doesn't have to feel like success. It just has to feel like showing up." | Luther | Reframing expectations |
Characters Introduced
| Character | Species | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Dillamond | Goat | UNDSWUS 55 professor (Wicked Easter egg) |
| Maya Chen-Reyes | Ocelot | Group project lead |
| Hector Vidal | Capybara | Group project member |
| Jun Tanaka | Tanuki | Group project member |
| Professor Clawberg | Wolverine | Social Work Practice professor |
Locations
- Pawthorne Mansion --- Kitchen, dining room
- GYU Savanna Central Hub --- Pawsington Square
- GYU Silvermane Center --- UNDSWUS 55 classroom, UNDSWUS 41 seminar room
- GYU Kibble Center --- UNDSWUS 31 classroom
Items
- Reptile Ravine case study slides --- Dr. Dillamond's lecture on Lynxley crimes
- Field placement packet --- ZRS listed; Pawbert's first choice
- Group project shared document --- Rainforest District accessibility proposal
Notes
- This episode begins the "Finding Purpose" arc (E09-E14) of the season.
- Dr. Dillamond is a Wicked Easter egg, referencing the goat professor from the musical who faces discrimination and persecution for being an Animal in a world increasingly hostile to his kind. In-universe, the name is fitting for a professor teaching a course on speciesism and oppression—and for Pawbert's journey confronting institutional discrimination.
- The case study was prepared three years before Pawbert enrolled—not because of him.
- Course codes: UNDSWUS 55 (Diversity/Speciesism), UNDSWUS 31 (Social Work Practice), UNDSWUS 41 (Practicum).
- Etta returns from Transfer Credit as an ongoing peer contact.