S05E24 - Always

"Always" is the twenty-fourth and final episode of Season 5 and the series finale of We Can Fix Pawbert. It is the 104th and final episode of the series. The double wedding at Zootopia World Celebration Gardens brings together virtually every significant character from across all five seasons, culminating in the pack's marriages and a final sequence in which the green sweater watches over the sleeping pack.

Synopsis

The pack's double wedding at Zootopia World Celebration Gardens unites Pawbert and Luther alongside Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, with Mayor Winddancer officiating and guests spanning every crossover team and friend group from the entire series. After deeply personal vows and a reception full of speeches, the series closes the morning after with the long-promised apron incident, the pack settling into domestic peace, and the green sweater watching over them as the final title card dedicates the story to all who call Zootopia home.

Plot

Guests arrive at Zootopia World Celebration Gardens for the double wedding, and the cold open follows each group as they settle in. Bogo limps through the entrance on his cane with Clawhauser already in tears beside him. Director Costa arrives flanked by O'Brian and Bauer, the latter visibly uncomfortable in civilian formal wear. The Station 118 crew enters with Athena leading—she pauses at the arch with a moment of private grief for Bobby before pressing forward. Jake leads the Precinct 99 contingent in with characteristic chaos, Holt maintaining rigid composure while Charles is already weeping. Reacher's team hovers near the bar, all scanning for exits. Pawbert's Snarlbucks friends arrive in a wave—Lane already sobbing, Brim on his shoulder offering dry commentary, Selma, Tara, Mika, and Renny close behind, with Sorrel and Wendell from ZRS. The GYU study group clusters nervously near the entrance. Stu and Bonnie Hopps navigate the city grandeur with country warmth, Stu already planning a third shovel talk for Nick. Fru Fru commands her entourage of polar bear bodyguards with little Judith on a platform beside her. The Pawthorne family arrives with understated authority—Maris in cream silk, Harlan in a charcoal suit—accompanied by elderly household staff: Crispin the groundskeeper, eyes already wet, and Scalesby the pangolin housekeeper. Finnick walks in alone in his cleanest shirt, acknowledging to himself that Judy hustled Nick good. Nikki arrives in lawyer-sharp black, watching the mammal she fought for at trial. Dr. Fuzzby and Dr. Venn sit together—Venn reveals Pawbert invited him personally, quoting his own words back. Gary slithers in vibrating with joy, thirty-three feet of ecstatic snake at his first wedding ever, whispering their shared phrase to himself. Nibbles charges in with a camera, immediately coordinating with Gary. Winddancer arrives in ceremonial robes and finds Bogo, the two sharing a moment of mutual respect forged through years of crises.

In the groom's suite, Luther adjusts his tie for the twentieth time while Nick and Jake lounge with easy confidence. Jake is on his fourth pastry, practicing the title "Best Mammal Jake Peralta." Luther asks how neither of them is nervous; Nick says walking into a crowd and performing is his thing, and Jake has accepted he will cry. Before they leave, Nick offers a sincere thank-you to Luther for making Pawbert happy and for staying when staying was hard. Luther says Pawbert made it easy. Nick corrects him—he didn't, and that's why it matters. Luther then slips into the bride's suite, where Judy throws a pillow at him for bad luck. He and Pawbert share a private moment in which Pawbert reveals he wants to shed the Lynxley name and take Pawthorne. Luther repeats the name aloud—"Pawbert Pawthorne... Paw... Paw"—and they dissolve into helpless laughter at the alliteration before parting with a soft exchange at the door. In the suite, Bonnie fusses over Judy's veil while Lane cries through his third tissue. Pawbert quietly says his mother would have loved this, and Bonnie asks him to tell her about Lillian—he shares that she predicted he would find someone who loves all of him. He and Judy recreate the gala introduction from years ago, Pawbert holding out his paw with the same awkward greeting, then correcting it: "Paw. Pawbert Pawthorne. Full circle." Maris arrives to announce it's time, cups Pawbert's face, and tells him Lillian would be so proud.

The ceremony begins with the processional song "Come What May" as Nick and Luther walk side by side down the aisle, followed by Judy and Pawbert arm in arm. Winddancer addresses the crowd, acknowledging that these four mammals asked to marry together because their lives are inseparable—what happens to one, happens to all. Nick's vows to Judy weave humor and sincerity, promising to follow her into every crusade because wherever she is, is where he wants to be. Judy promises to love the real Nick beneath the mask and to let him steal her fries. Luther's vows begin with a confession that he has spent his life learning silence, but for Pawbert, he is learning to speak; he promises to stay, because that is what the ring says and what he means, and to love Pawbert not conditionally but simply because he is enough. Pawbert's vow is the hardest—he promises to let himself be loved, to believe Luther when he says he loves him, and to love loudly and determinedly, the way his mother always said he should. Winddancer pronounces them married with his signature line, and the crowd erupts as Nick dips Judy into a dramatic kiss and Luther kisses Pawbert with quiet reverence.

The reception unfolds across the gardens under fairy lights. Clawhauser catches the bouquet and has to sit down. Bogo delivers a twelve-word speech—they saved the city, multiple times, they deserve happiness—and sits back down. Lane gives a tearful speech about the mammal who used to burn the milk steamer becoming a licensed social worker who saves lives, toasting to love as strong as espresso. Stu Hopps recounts Judy arresting a carrot at age three, admits Nick proved his assumptions about foxes wrong, and formally welcomes him to the family while noting he still owns the shovel. Jake throws out his structured speech in favor of something from the heart, calling Nick and Judy disgustingly perfect for each other and ending with his signature catchphrase, which sends the 99 table into a unified cheer. Nick corners Luther's elderly household staff for baby stories, learning that young Luther stole cookies at midnight and slept with a stuffed rabbit until he was ten—intelligence he treasures despite Luther's protests. Holt approaches Luther to offer congratulations and counsel, telling him he has provided the conditions in which love could flourish and to guard it well. Finnick finds Nick at the edge of the dance floor for a brief, gruff exchange—he confirms Nick is happy, offers a vague suggestion about old times, and walks away. Athena and Reacher share a quiet moment recognizing each other's loss. Gary wraps Pawbert in thirty-three feet of enthusiastic coils, tells him Agnes would be proud, and they complete their shared phrase: Gary says it, and Pawbert responds that they already have.

That night at the mansion, Nick and Judy celebrate their wedding night with passionate urgency. Luther and Pawbert, exhausted from the day, collapse in half-dressed laughter and agree to postpone their wedding night to the morning. The next day, with Nick and Judy gone to celebrate with the 99, Pawbert fulfills the long-running apron promise—wearing only the Snarlbucks apron, he surprises Luther in the living room and they consummate the years-old running joke over the back of the couch. Nick returns for his forgotten phone, walks in on them still knotted together, and immediately spirals into euphoria about The Chart's prophetic powers, adding "APRON INCIDENT CONSUMMATION" in starred, circled, underlined glory. Judy drags him out the door while he shouts about titles and prophecies.

That afternoon, the pack gathers on the couch—cleaned but forever tainted in Nick and Judy's minds. The Chart 2.0 stands against the wall with its newest category. Luther says he hates The Chart; Judy calls it a monument to love, aggressive and documented. Nick asks what comes next now that they have won, survived, and married. Pawbert answers simply: they live, they work, they come home, they be pack. Nick tells Pawbert his mom would be proud. Pawbert whispers Lillian's words—loud and determined—and Luther pulls him closer. In the final sequence, the camera pulls back through the city to "No One Is Alone," visiting Gary's family coiled together in Reptile Ravine, the GYU campus at dusk, the Snarlbucks friends painting in Mika's studio, Costa and his team returning to a rebuilding ZSI, Bogo at his precinct window, Fru Fru holding Judith beneath her father's portrait, and the city's districts from Savanna Central to Tundratown. Night falls. The camera drifts through the mansion, past Nick and Judy sleeping tangled together, into Luther and Pawbert's bedroom where Pawbert whispers his thanks and asks "Always?" Luther answers, immediate and certain: "Always, Paw." The green sweater sits draped over the chair in the corner, watching over them. The lights dim. The final title card reads: For all who call Zootopia home.

Key Moments

• Guests from every crossover team and friend group across the series arrive at World Celebration Gardens
• Athena pauses at the arch in private grief for Bobby before pressing forward
• Luther and Pawbert share a private moment in the bride's suite where Pawbert chooses to take the Pawthorne name, and they dissolve into laughter at "Paw Paw"
• Pawbert recreates his awkward gala introduction for Judy, correcting it to "Pawbert Pawthorne—full circle"
• Maris cups Pawbert's face and tells him Lillian would be so proud
• The processional plays "Come What May" as both couples walk the aisle
• Winddancer officiates, declaring their lives inseparable
• Nick vows to follow Judy into every crusade; Judy promises to see the real Nick beneath the mask
• Luther vows to stay and to love Pawbert unconditionally; Pawbert vows to let himself be loved
• Bogo delivers a twelve-word speech; Lane weeps through his tribute to Pawbert's transformation
• Jake abandons his prepared speech for something from the heart
• Nick learns baby Luther stories from the household staff, including a stuffed rabbit
• Holt tells Luther to guard what he has built
• Gary and Pawbert complete their shared phrase at the dessert table
• Pawbert fulfills the apron promise the morning after; Nick walks in and updates The Chart
• Pawbert answers what comes next: they live, they work, they come home, they be pack
• Nick tells Pawbert his mom would be proud; Pawbert whispers "loud and determined"
• The final exchange between Luther and Pawbert closes the series
• The green sweater watches over the sleeping pack as the camera pulls back through the city

Key Lines

Characters Introduced

Locations

• Zootopia World Celebration Gardens — Wedding and reception venue
• Pawthorne Mansion — Pack home; morning-after scenes and final sequence
• Reptile Ravine — Gary's family home in the city flyover
• GYU Campus — Shown in the city flyover
• Mika's Studio — Snarlbucks friends painting in the city flyover
• ZSI Headquarters — Under reconstruction in the city flyover
• ZPD Precinct 1 — Bogo at his window in the city flyover
• Big's Mansion — Fru Fru and Judith beneath Mr. Big's portrait
• Lynxley Manor — Abandoned, boarded up, buried in snow

Items

• Wedding rings — Matched sets for all four pack members; Luther and Pawbert's engraved "STAY"
• Green sweater — Lillian's sweater; final shot of the series watching over the sleeping pack
• The Chart 2.0 — Updated with "APRON INCIDENT CONSUMMATION: 1 glorious instance ★★★"
• Snarlbucks apron — The long-running promise finally fulfilled
• Framed napkin — Charles's pancake recipe; still on kitchen wall
• Heist trophy — Still on mantel
• Corkboard — Still in Luther and Pawbert's bedroom with Maddie's card and Squad Polaroid
• Fairy lights — Saved from the wedding by Maris; in a vase on the table

Featured Song

"Come What May" (From 'Moulin Rouge! The Musical'), Aaron Tveit & Karen Olivo

The wedding processional for the double wedding. The song plays as Nick and Luther walk down the aisle side by side, continues as Judy and Pawbert follow arm in arm, and ends as all four reach the arch where Mayor Winddancer waits. The song is about unexpected love and promising to stay through anything—"until my dying day" lands differently for couples who know what that means, given that Luther nearly died months before the wedding. The duet format mirrors the double wedding: two voices intertwining, two couples becoming family. The repeated promise becomes the vow made in music before the spoken vows begin.

End Credit Songs

"No One Is Alone" (From 'Into the Woods'), Original Broadway Cast

"Finale" (From 'Dear Evan Hansen'), Original Broadway Cast

The series finale uses two songs in sequence, each serving a distinct purpose. "No One Is Alone" plays during the epilogue montage—Costa rebuilding ZSI, Bogo smiling at Clawhauser's rambling, Fru Fru holding Judith beneath her father's portrait, and finally both couples asleep in the mansion. The song's lyrics—"no one is alone, truly, no one is alone"—serve as the series thesis: Pawbert spent five seasons learning he didn't have to face things alone. Then "Finale" from Dear Evan Hansen plays over the dedication and credits, completing the series bookend that began with "Words Fail" in S01E01. Where "Words Fail" was Pawbert's breakdown—a desperate confession that he's been lying, that he needs love but doesn't deserve it—"Finale" offers the resolution: "Today at least you're you, and that's enough." The entire five-season journey is the distance between those two songs.

Notes

• The Zootopia World Celebration Gardens is named after the Disney Fairytale Weddings venue at EPCOT's World Celebration area.
• Pawbert's vow encapsulates his entire character arc from the terrified, suicidal mammal at the start to someone capable of receiving love.
• The green sweater's final appearance watching over the pack echoes Lillian's presence throughout the series, affirming that the fear of loss does not disappear—you simply choose to love anyway.
• The final title card mirrors the failsafe code FOR_ALL and Agnes's founding vision.
• The Lynxley Manor flyover shows the estate abandoned and buried in snow—nature reclaiming what the Lynxleys built on lies.
• Pawbert's recreation of his Z2 gala introduction ("Paw! Pawbert. I am Pawbert. Hi.") completes his character arc: the same awkward mammal, but now confident in who he has become.
• Russell Jackhorn, Winddancer's pronghorn chief of staff (first appearing in "The Wall"), is named after Russell Jackson from Madam Secretary.
• The Dunphys attending the wedding are named after Modern Family characters. All of the pack's Meadowlands neighbors---including Cameron and Mitchell and the Delgados---are named after Modern Family families.
• Luther's vow---"Just because you're you. That's enough. It's always been enough."---is a callback to the end credit song "Finale" from Dear Evan Hansen, which closes the episode with the adapted lyrics: "Today at least you're you and that's enough." The show bookends the series with Dear Evan Hansen songs, beginning with "Words Fail" in "The Weakest Lynx".
• Finnick's line "She hustled you, Wilde. She hustled you GOOD." is a direct callback to his exact line from Zootopia (2016), where he says the same thing after Judy cons Nick into helping her.