S05E19 - Tundratown Requiem

"Tundratown Requiem" is the nineteenth episode of Season 5 of We Can Fix Pawbert.

Synopsis

Icener's assault on Tundratown is revealed to be a feint when a larger force attacks Reptile Ravine, massacring civilians and searching for Agnes's documentation. Mr. Big sacrifices himself holding the evacuation corridor at his mansion, Luther kills Roskova in close combat, and Fru Fru assumes leadership of the Big organization. The episode ends with Pawbert proposing to extract Milton from ZCF for The Root's access codes.

Plot

At the De'Snake residence in Reptile Ravine, Pawbert and Gary continue studying Agnes's journals and engineering diagrams, searching for meaning in the cryptic note about the failsafe. Luther radios to warn that Icener's forces are hitting Tundratown, ordering Pawbert to stay at the Ravine. Meanwhile, the assault hammers Mr. Big's compound from three defensive sectors: Reacher holds the north with his team, Luther and Bauer defend the east with CTU tactical teams, and Shaw coordinates the south with Nick and Judy. All three sectors hold, but Nick senses something wrong—the attackers are pressing hard without truly committing, as if keeping the defenders occupied rather than breaking through.

Nearly an hour into the battle, Gary's family gathers nervously around Pawbert as he works. Through the windows, Reptile Ravine sleeps peacefully—gecko families on porches, an old tortoise watching the night, snakes coiled on windowsills. Then unmarked trucks arrive carrying polar bears, wolves, and snow leopards. Roskova commands the assault personally, her forces tearing through the district searching for codes and documentation. The attack is devastating: a gecko child is crushed under a polar bear's boot, the old tortoise's shell is cracked against his doorframe, and a group of pit vipers who mount a brave defense with their venom are cut down by gunfire. When Roskova's forces breach the De'Snake home, Gary's family coils around Pawbert's body—his mother around his torso, his father around his leg, his siblings around his arms and neck—and Pawbert smashes through the back window carrying all five snakes and Agnes's documentation bag, fleeing into the burning Ravine.

At Mr. Big's command center, O'Brian detects the coordinated movement at Reptile Ravine and delivers the devastating revelation: Tundratown is the feint, and the force at the Ravine is larger than what is hitting the compound. Luther hears it over comms and immediately breaks from the eastern defensive line, commandeering a vehicle despite Costa's protests. Mr. Big, learning that innocent reptiles are under attack, orders Raymond to take half his polar bears to protect the Ravine, knowing it will expose the south sector. When Fru Fru questions the decision, he tells her that some things matter more than territory. Pawbert leads survivors through Agnes's forgotten maintenance tunnels—tortoises, iguanas, snakes, and Gary's family all clinging to him or following behind. Gary navigates from Pawbert's arm, his voice cracking as he directs them through the darkness while the sounds of gunfire and screaming filter through the tunnel ceiling above.

The south sector buckles without Raymond's polar bears. Nick and Judy fight back-to-back as the line collapses, and Shaw orders a fighting retreat to the mansion. Mr. Big decides to hold the corridor personally to buy time for the evacuation, ordering Koslov to protect Fru Fru instead. He transfers thirty years of loyalty with his final order to Koslov, who drops to his knees and obeys. Three of Mr. Big's polar bears take positions around the tiny shrew as the others evacuate. When Icener's operatives breach the corridor, a brutal close-quarters firefight kills all three of Big's bears and most of the attackers—but one massive operative survives. Mr. Big fires his shrew-sized pistol into the operative's left eye, a one-in-a-million shot, but the polar bear charges through the pain and destroys Big's platform, throwing the arctic shrew across the room. Nick and Judy rush back and empty their weapons into the operative, who staggers but stays upright—until Reacher bursts through the far door and kills him with three seconds of devastating violence. Nick cradles Mr. Big in his paws as the shrew delivers his final words, asking Nick to tell Fru Fru he kept his promise and thanking Judy for letting him be part of something good. His last breath carries the words that define their relationship: he calls Nick "Nicholas" and tells him he was always kind. Nick carries the tiny body through the ruined mansion, refusing to let Koslov take him.

Luther reaches Reptile Ravine and links up with Raymond's polar bears. Fighting through the streets, he encounters Roskova at close range. Both fire and miss, and Roskova charges using her polar bear mass against the gray wolf. She disarms him and gets her paw around his throat, but Luther bites through her tactical sleeve—wolf teeth sinking deep—forcing her to release him and throw him backward. He scrambles for his dropped weapon and fires two shots center mass from the ground. For one moment, something like professional respect passes between them before she falls. Luther finds Pawbert and the survivors at the drainage grate, pulling his husband into his arms with rough relief.

At the mansion, the survivors gather amid grief. Fru Fru sees her father's body and screams, then touches his face and whispers that he kept his promise—and she will keep hers. She turns to face the surviving polar bears and assumes command with iron beneath her grief, declaring that her father's legacy does not end. Koslov, Raymond, and Kevin drop to their knees and pledge their service. In another room, Nick breaks down to Judy, carrying the guilt of having proposed the alliance that put Mr. Big in Icener's crosshairs. Gary processes the destruction of his rebuilt community, and Pawbert counsels him through the grief by drawing on his own experience with loss and rebuilding. Pawbert then proposes the final move: extracting Milton from ZCF, because Milton holds the codes and location of The Root. He acknowledges his hatred for his father but argues that letting that hatred cost the city everything would mean Milton still has power over him. Costa secures authorization from Mayor Winddancer, and the pack heads out together to make a deal with the devil.

Key Moments

• Tundratown assault is revealed as a feint when O'Brian detects a larger force at Reptile Ravine
• Roskova's forces massacre Reptile Ravine civilians, including a gecko child and an old tortoise
• Pit vipers mount a desperate venomous defense, bringing down two attackers before being gunned down
• Gary's entire family coils around Pawbert as he smashes through a window to escape
• Gary and Pawbert take down a snow leopard operative together—Gary binding her legs, Pawbert striking her
• Pawbert leads survivors through Agnes's maintenance tunnels while the Ravine burns above them
• Mr. Big sends his polar bears to protect Reptile Ravine, knowingly exposing the south sector
• Luther defies Costa's orders and breaks from the east sector to reach Pawbert
• Mr. Big holds the corridor with three polar bears, ordering Koslov to protect Fru Fru instead
• Mr. Big shoots the massive operative in the eye with his shrew-sized pistol
• Reacher kills the last operative after Nick and Judy's weapons fail to bring him down
• Mr. Big dies in Nick's paws after delivering his final words
• Nick carries Mr. Big's body through the mansion, refusing to let anyone else take him
• Luther kills Roskova in close combat after she nearly chokes him to death
• Fru Fru assumes leadership of the Big organization with Koslov, Raymond, and Kevin pledging loyalty
• Nick breaks down over guilt for proposing the alliance that led to Mr. Big's death
• Pawbert counsels Gary through the destruction of his rebuilt community
• Pawbert proposes extracting Milton from ZCF for The Root's access codes
• Costa secures Winddancer's authorization for Milton's transfer

Key Lines

Locations

• Mr. Big's Compound — Command center and defensive perimeter; three sectors (north, east, south)
• Reptile Ravine — De'Snake residence, streets, old maintenance tunnels, drainage grate
• Tundratown — East sector loading docks, south sector barricades, north sector main approach
• Mr. Big's Mansion — Main corridor (Mr. Big's last stand), secure wing, main hall (aftermath)
• ZSI Backup Facility — Costa's video call location after evacuation

Items

• Mr. Big's shrew-sized pistol — Used to shoot the operative in the eye during his final stand; placed beside his body afterward
• Agnes's documentation bag — Journals, engineering notes, and cryptic failsafe passages; saved by Pawbert during the escape
• Maintenance tunnel routes — Agnes's original infrastructure from before the burial, known only to Gary; used to evacuate survivors
• Tactical display — Three-sector map at Mr. Big's command center showing green/yellow/red status

Notes

• Mr. Big's death is one of the most significant in the series. His decision to hold the corridor personally—an arctic shrew against polar bear operatives—embodies the theme that courage is not proportional to physical stature.
• Roskova's death eliminates Icener's most capable field commander, leaving him increasingly isolated for the final episodes.
• The Reptile Ravine massacre is among the most emotionally devastating sequences in the series, deliberately contrasting the peaceful community established moments before with the violence that destroys it.
• The pit vipers' venomous defense—bringing down two attackers before being gunned down—parallels the Ravine's broader theme: small creatures fighting with everything they have against overwhelming force.
• Gary's family coiling around Pawbert for escape directly inverts the betrayal from Zootopia 2, where Pawbert threw Gary into the freezing cold. Now Pawbert carries the De'Snake family to safety.
• Nick's guilt over Mr. Big's death mirrors Pawbert's recurring struggle with responsibility—both mammals grapple with the consequences of choices that led others into danger.
• The episode spans approximately four hours of in-universe time, from the assault's start at 22:00 through Costa's authorization call after 02:00.