S04E16 - Incoming
"Incoming" is the sixteenth episode of Season 4 of We Can Fix Pawbert. It is the season's only action episode and features a crossover with Reacher's team. Luther returns injured from the classified mission.
Synopsis
A flashback reveals Luther's mission: a raid on a weapons compound with Reacher's team. A building collapses during a firefight, leaving Luther trapped with three broken ribs and a concussion. Reacher's team arrives at the mansion to inform Pawbert that Luther is alive but injured. O'Donnell holds Pawbert through a panic attack. At the ZSI medical wing, Luther signs himself out against medical advice. Pawbert reads aloud his STAY notebook letter, and Luther reveals he kept repeating Pawbert's name while trapped.
Plot
The episode opens with a flashback to three days earlier, showing Luther moving through an undisclosed compound with Reacher's team. Jack Reacher leads, with Frances Neagley, David O'Donnell, and Karla Dixon coordinating via comms. Intel indicates twelve hostiles and a weapons cache. Luther discovers crates of disassembled assault rifles and detonators—confirmation that this is a supply chain for mass violence.
The tactical operation proceeds smoothly through the first two buildings. Luther takes down a coyote guard, then clears a workspace alongside Reacher, neutralizing a wolverine and a ram. The situation escalates when they reach the back structure, where Neagley is pinned by three hostiles instead of two. An armored polar bear wielding a vehicle-breach weapon engages Reacher in a brutal fight. The two bears are evenly matched, but their struggle damages a support pillar. The upper floor begins to collapse. Luther loses his grip on a beam as debris slams into his ribs, and the last thing he sees before losing consciousness is the night sky through a hole in the roof—stars bright and cold and impossibly far away.
In the present day, Pawbert stands in the mansion kitchen on the fifth day of Luther's absence, still wearing Luther's hoodie. The intercom buzzes. A deep, flat voice announces Jack Reacher's presence at the gate. Four mammals arrive. None of them is Luther. Pawbert's panic is immediate and overwhelming—his legs give out as he demands to know where Luther is. O'Donnell, a fellow gray wolf, catches him and holds him through the breakdown. The species parallel provides unexpected grounding. Reacher's two words cut through the spiral: Luther is alive.
At Zootopia General Hospital's secure wing, Dr. Miranda Bailey—a honey badger with a no-nonsense demeanor—delivers the damage report: three broken ribs, extensive spinal bruising, lacerations requiring sutures, and a Grade 2 concussion. Luther has already attempted to discharge himself twice. When Nick and Judy arrive, Nick immediately recognizes what's happening and tells the doctor to simply provide the AMA paperwork. Luther signs himself out against medical advice, insisting he will rest at home with four mammals watching him instead of in a hospital bed.
Before departing, Reacher shares something with Pawbert. When they pulled Luther from the rubble, he kept saying one thing—Pawbert's name, over and over, nothing else. He didn't seem to know he was saying it. The revelation breaks Pawbert again, but this time with relief rather than terror.
Getting Luther home requires the entire pack's efforts. Nick drives while Judy keeps Luther from giving directions. Back at the mansion, Luther is installed on the living room couch, surrounded by pillows and blankets. Nick announces his intention to create a recovery documentation chart with categories including Escape Attempts, Complaints About Rest, and Buildings Collapsed On Luther—the last already at one. When Luther threatens to destroy it, Nick cheerfully informs him it will be laminated.
In the bedroom that night, Pawbert reads aloud from his STAY notebook—the letter he wrote while Luther was gone, documenting his attempts to keep living while waiting. The entry describes wearing Luther's hoodie, attending classes, going to work, meeting new mammals like Mika, and learning to have a life even when Luther isn't in it. Luther responds that he's proud of Pawbert. The hoodie finally comes off, no longer needed now that Luther is home. The anchor phrase holds: Always.
Key Moments
- Luther moves through the compound with Reacher's team, confirming the weapons cache is a supply chain for mass violence
- Reacher and the polar bear fight in the upper structure, their combined weight and violence damaging a support pillar
- The building collapses with Luther inside; he sees stars through the roof before losing consciousness
- Reacher's team arrives at the mansion gate without Luther, triggering Pawbert's immediate panic
- O'Donnell catches Pawbert when his legs give out—the gray wolf species parallel provides unexpected grounding
- Reacher cuts through Pawbert's spiral with two words confirming Luther is alive
- Dr. Bailey reports Luther's injuries: three broken ribs, spinal bruising, lacerations, Grade 2 concussion
- Luther refuses to stay hospitalized, signing AMA papers to go home
- Reacher reveals that Luther kept repeating Pawbert's name while trapped in the rubble
- Nick announces his plan to create The Chart, a laminated recovery documentation system
- The pack works together to get Luther installed on the living room couch
- Pawbert reads his STAY notebook letter aloud, documenting the life he built while Luther was gone
- Luther expresses pride in Pawbert's growth
- The hoodie comes off—no longer needed now that Luther is home
- The anchor phrase holds between them in the bedroom
Key Lines
| Line | Speaker | Context |
|---|---|---|
| "This is a supply chain, and the end of the chain is always bodies." | Luther (thought) | Realizing the stakes at the compound |
| "You're slow." / "You're bleeding." / "Scratch." | Reacher / Luther / Reacher | Post-fight exchange after the upper floor is cleared |
| "Beautiful. Then nothing." | Luther (thought) | Seeing stars before losing consciousness in the collapse |
| "This is Jack Reacher. We're at your gate. You need to open it." | Reacher | Intercom announcement; Pawbert's world stops |
| "He's alive." | Reacher | Cutting through Pawbert's panic |
| "He kept saying your name. Over and over. Just 'Pawbert.' Nothing else." | Reacher | Revealing what Luther said while trapped |
| "You're wearing my hoodie." / "It looks good on you." / "It's too big." / "I know." | Luther / Pawbert | Hospital reunion; tender moment |
| "Closed file. But I was thinking about you the whole time." | Luther | Explaining the silence |
| "He's always like this. Just give him the AMA papers." | Nick | Advocating for Luther's release |
| "I'll believe it when I see it." | Dr. Bailey | On Luther's promise to rest |
| "He's one of ours. We take care of our own." / "So do we." | Reacher / Pawbert | Team and pack philosophies |
| "We're ours." | Pawbert | Pack affirmation |
| "I'm making a chart." | Nick | Introducing The Chart |
| "Buildings Collapsed On Luther—that one's already at one." | Nick | Chart category |
| "It will be laminated." | Nick | On The Chart's durability |
| "Family first. We'll keep notes for you." | Jun | Text response; GYU group understanding |
| "I came back. I always come back." | Luther | Promise fulfilled |
| "Don't ever do that again." / "I can't promise that." / "I know. Just let me say it." | Pawbert / Luther | Honest exchange in the tag |
| "Always?" / "Always." | Pawbert / Luther | Final exchange; anchor phrase intact |
Characters Introduced
| Character | Species | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Miranda Bailey | Honey badger | ZSI-adjacent doctor (Grey's Anatomy Easter egg) |
Crossover Characters
- Jack Reacher (kodiak bear) --- Team leader; "You're slow" / "Scratch"
- Frances Neagley (caracal) --- Haptephobia; precise; "He kept saying your name"
- David O'Donnell (gray wolf) --- Calm, grounding; holds Pawbert during breakdown
- Karla Dixon (cheetah) --- Tech specialist; stays with vehicles
Recurring Characters
- Maya Chen-Reyes (ocelot) --- Text only; understanding about family emergency
- Hector Vidal (capybara) --- Text only; "Hope everyone's alright"
- Jun Tanaka (tanuki) --- Text only; "Family first"
Locations
- Compound (undisclosed location) --- Flashback; weapons cache raid
- Pawthorne Mansion --- Kitchen, foyer, living room, master bedroom
- Zootopia General Hospital - Secure Wing --- Room 3, waiting area
- Luther's car --- Reacher driving
Items
- Luther's hoodie — Pawbert has worn it for five days; finally comes off in the tag when Luther returns home
- STAY notebook — Pawbert reads his letter aloud to Luther in the bedroom
- AMA paperwork — Luther signs out Against Medical Advice despite Dr. Bailey's objections
- The Chart — Nick's recovery documentation system; categories include Escape Attempts, Complaints About Rest, and Buildings Collapsed On Luther; laminated
- Wheelchair — Hospital policy for discharge; Luther glares at it
Notes
- This is the only action episode in Season 4, representing a brief return to the intensity of earlier seasons.
- Dr. Miranda Bailey is a Grey's Anatomy Easter egg, matching the no-nonsense personality of the original character.
- The Chart, born here as a joke, becomes the season's defining comedic artifact and is eventually framed as Luther's birthday gift in E19.
- Luther's hoodie arc resolves in the tag — Pawbert finally takes it off when Luther returns.