S04E24 - Loud and Determined
"Loud and Determined" is the twenty-fourth and final episode of Season 4 of We Can Fix Pawbert. It is the Season 4 finale, celebrating Pawbert's twenty-eighth birthday — his first as a free mammal.
Synopsis
On Pawbert's twenty-eighth birthday, Fuzzby and Nikki call to check in. Visitors arrive throughout the day: Luther's parents, with Maris bringing cinnamon rolls made from Lillian's recipe; the Snarlbucks crew with his work apron; Sorrel from ZRS; and Gary De'Snake, thanking Pawbert for fighting for reptiles during the Lionheart crisis. Pawbert delivers a speech invoking his mother's phrase "loud and determined." Cinnamon rolls are served with a single green candle. The episode ends with a dream sequence in which Lillian welcomes Pawbert into her embrace.
Plot
Pawbert wakes on November 26th—his twenty-eighth birthday—to an empty bed and silence. The fear that once would have sent him spiraling doesn't arrive. He knows where Luther is: downstairs, starting something, being Luther. He pulls on his mother's green sweater, the one thing Milton never managed to take from him, and goes downstairs to find the pack already in motion. Luther is at the stove making pancakes while Nick bickers about batter and Judy arranges fruit with investigative precision. They insist Pawbert sit rather than help. He watches mammals who wake up early on his birthday to cook for him, still learning how to receive without earning.
Dr. Fuzzby calls via video, noting that Pawbert didn't start his answer with a caveat—progress from the hedging and preemptive deflection that years of survival taught him. Nikki Bramble calls to check on compliance and tells him he deserves a good birthday. The doorbell begins to ring as visitors arrive. Maris and Harlan Pawthorne appear first, with Maris carrying cinnamon rolls made from Lillian's recipe—Luther had told her about them. Some traditions deserve to continue. The Snarlbucks crew arrives as a unit: Selma, Lane, Brim, Tara, and Mika. They give Pawbert his apron from work, saved for his own kitchen. Lane threatens emotional consequences if anyone points out he wanted to bring it. Sorrel comes despite not doing social calls, telling Pawbert he's earned this.
Gary De'Snake arrives last, vibrating with barely contained joy. He asks permission to hug and immediately envelops Pawbert in coils. Gary thanks Pawbert for fighting for reptiles during the Lionheart crisis—for standing up when it could have made things worse for him. He knows what Pawbert did before and what he was part of, but he also knows who Pawbert is now: someone worth celebrating. He gives Pawbert a drawing from before everything fell apart—two figures, a young lynx and a blue snake, posed together and smiling. His characteristic phrase applies now: We shall succeed. And Pawbert already has.
The living room fills with pack and parents and friends and a thirty-three-foot snake who has somehow arranged himself without knocking anything over. Pawbert steps forward to speak. He tells them that four years ago, he was certain it was his last birthday. He spent years making himself invisible, hoping that being small enough and quiet enough would keep anyone from noticing him. Then he met mammals who noticed him anyway, who saw him when he couldn't see himself. His mother used to call him loud and determined. He never believed her. Now he is loud. He is determined. He is here, really here. Maris starts clapping. Luther pulls him close.
Maris brings out the cinnamon rolls with a single green candle in the center. Pawbert looks at the mammals who chose him—pack, parents, friends, mentor, his first friend who never stopped believing in him. He already has what he'd wish for. He blows out the candle. The rolls are good—not exactly like his mother's, but close. The effort visible in every bite, the love baked into the dough. The party winds down in stages. After everyone leaves, Nick and Judy fall asleep on the couch while Luther leads Pawbert upstairs. They spend the night together intimately before lying in the darkness, talking about ordinary life and how to do it. Pawbert says his mother would have liked Luther—would have said he was too serious and then made him cinnamon rolls while interrogating him about his intentions. Luther tells him that Lillian knew Pawbert would find his way because she raised him to be loud and determined. Even when the world tried to beat it out of him, she left enough behind that he could find it again.
In the dream that closes the episode, Pawbert stands in his mother's kitchen—smaller and warmer than reality, the quality of light belonging to memory. Lillian turns from the counter and smiles. She tells him he looks loud and determined, just like she always knew. Pawbert tells her he made it, he found his way. She opens her arms and he steps into them. For one perfect moment, everything is exactly as it should be.
Key Moments
- Pawbert wakes on his birthday without the fear that once would have accompanied consciousness
- Luther insists Pawbert sit and receive rather than help with breakfast
- Dr. Fuzzby notes Pawbert didn't qualify his answer with a caveat—progress
- Nikki Bramble confirms compliance and tells him he deserves a good birthday
- Maris Pawthorne arrives with cinnamon rolls made from Lillian's recipe
- The Snarlbucks crew gifts Pawbert his work apron, saved from his last shift
- Sorrel arrives despite not doing social calls—Pawbert earned it
- Gary De'Snake envelops Pawbert in coils and thanks him for fighting for reptiles
- Gary presents a childhood drawing of himself and Pawbert
- Pawbert delivers his birthday speech, claiming his mother's words as his own
- The green candle is lit atop the cinnamon rolls—callback to the green candle memorial
- Pawbert blows out the candle, having already received what he'd wish for
- Pawbert and Luther share an intimate night
- Pawbert reflects on not knowing how to do ordinary life
- Luther tells him Lillian knew he'd find his way because she raised him loud and determined
- Dream sequence: Lillian welcomes Pawbert into her embrace with pride
Key Lines
| Line | Speaker | Context |
|---|---|---|
| "It's your birthday. You sit." | Luther | Kitchen; forcing Pawbert to receive |
| "You didn't start that sentence with a caveat. That's progress." | Dr. Fuzzby | Video call; noting growth |
| "You've come a long way, Pawbert. Keep going." | Nikki | Phone call; lawyer check-in |
| "We missed the first twenty-seven. We're not missing any more." | Maris | Arrival; carrying cinnamon rolls |
| "Permission to hug?" / "Permission granted." | Gary / Pawbert | Gary's arrival; characteristic exchange |
| "You fought for us. Even when you didn't have to." | Gary | On Lionheart takedown |
| "I know what you did before. I know what you were part of. But I also know who you are now. And that mammal—that mammal is someone worth celebrating." | Gary | Core acceptance statement |
| "We shall succeed, Pawbert. You already have." | Gary | Characteristic phrase applied to Pawbert's life |
| "Four years ago, I was certain it was my last birthday." | Pawbert | Speech opening |
| "My mother used to call me 'loud and determined.' I never believed her. I'm loud now. I'm determined. I'm... here. Really here." | Pawbert | Speech climax |
| "I think I already have what I'd wish for." | Pawbert | Before blowing out candle |
| "What if I mess it up?" / "Then you try again. The difference is you don't have to do it alone anymore." | Pawbert / Luther | Pillow talk; core exchange |
| "She raised you to be loud and determined. Even when the world tried to beat it out of you, she left enough behind that you could find it again." | Luther | Pillow talk; key statement |
| "Thank you. For everything. For all of it." / "Always." | Pawbert / Luther | Final waking exchange |
| "Look at you. Loud and determined. Just like I always knew." | Lillian | Dream sequence |
Recurring Characters
- Maris Pawthorne (gray wolf) --- Luther's mother; brings cinnamon rolls
- Harlan Pawthorne (gray wolf) --- Luther's father
- Selma (okapi) --- Snarlbucks manager
- Lane (cheetah) --- Snarlbucks friend
- Brim (mouse) --- Snarlbucks friend
- Tara (gazelle) --- Snarlbucks colleague
- Mika (red panda) --- Artist friend
- Sorrel (capybara) --- ZRS mentor
- Gary De'Snake (blue pit viper) --- First friend; first in-person since S02E21
- Dr. Fuzzby (quokka) --- Video call; outside therapist
- Nikki Bramble (badger) --- Phone call; lawyer
- Lillian Lynxley (lynx) --- Dream sequence; Pawbert's mother
Locations
- Pawthorne Mansion --- Master bedroom, kitchen, living room
- Dream sequence --- Lillian's kitchen
Items
- Green sweater — Worn by Pawbert throughout; now warmth rather than armor
- Cinnamon rolls — Maris made from Lillian's recipe; bridging families
- Green candle — Single candle; callback to the green candle memorial
- Snarlbucks apron — Gift from coworkers; something Pawbert earned
- Drawing from Gary — Young Pawbert and Gary together, drawn after they first met
End Credit Song
"Bella Notte" (From 'Lady and the Tramp'), Peggy Lee & Sonny Burke
"Bella Notte" from Lady and the Tramp brings Season Four to a close with the gentle sweetness of a Disney lullaby over Pawbert's dream reunion with his mother Lillian. The song's Italian title, meaning "beautiful night," speaks to the tender darkness of the final scenes: Pawbert's birthday celebration winding down into intimacy with Luther, followed by sleep, followed by a dream where his mother finally welcomes him home with the words she planted in him decades ago. The original "Bella Notte" plays over Lady and Tramp's romantic spaghetti dinner, the moment their unlikely love story crystallizes. Here, it plays over the crystallization of something equally unexpected: Pawbert finding peace. His mother's dream-voice telling him "Loud and determined, just like I always knew" becomes the season's thesis statement.
The song also serves as a callback to Zootopia 2 itself: when Nick and Judy are on the run after being framed, they hitch a ride on Russ the Walrus's ferry service. As Russ clicks a button to turn on LED lights for their "romantic" walrus belly ride, an instrumental version of "Bella Notte" plays. Using the full vocal version here brings the melody full circle—from a comedic moment while Nick and Judy were fugitives to a moment of genuine peace at the end of Pawbert's recovery arc.
Notes
- This episode brings together characters from every arc of the season: family (Pawthornes), work (Snarlbucks crew, Sorrel), therapy (Fuzzby), legal (Nikki), and friendship (Gary).
- Gary De'Snake's return connects back to the earliest episodes of the series, representing Pawbert's first friend.
- The green candle callback bookends Pawbert's journey from suicidal despair during "Green Candle" to celebration.
- The Lillian dream sequence mirrors the maternal loss that has defined Pawbert's character since the series premiere.
- Season 4 ends with Pawbert aged 28, first semester complete, employed, with friends outside the pack, and living at the mansion—a complete transformation from the frightened prisoner who arrived in "The Weakest Lynx."