Soundtrack
The Soundtrack of We Can Fix Pawbert consists of end credit songs that play over select episodes and featured songs that appear within the narrative. The series draws heavily from musical theater, using songs to underscore emotional peaks and thematic milestones.
Approximately 21% of episodes feature end credit songs, with selections reserved for major emotional moments rather than every episode. The series bookends with Dear Evan Hansen—opening with "Words Fail" and closing with "Finale"—reflecting Pawbert's journey from a mammal who believes he's beyond saving to one who knows he is enough.
End Credit Songs
Season 1
S01E01 - "The Weakest Lynx"
"Words Fail" (From 'Dear Evan Hansen'), Ben Platt
"Words Fail" captures the raw devastation of Pawbert's emotional state in the pilot episode with devastating precision. In the musical, Evan Hansen sings this song at his lowest moment, confessing that everything he did was driven by a desperate need to be loved, to feel like he belonged somewhere. Pawbert's journey in this episode mirrors this exactly: he attempted murder not because someone ordered him to, but because he believed that if he protected his family, they might finally see him, accept him, and say he was one of them. The song's central confession—"I never meant to make it such a mess"—echoes Pawbert's breakdown in the holding cell, his silent tears behind the muzzle, his whispered apology to his mother's photograph. This choice also establishes Dear Evan Hansen as the series' thematic touchstone—a show about a broken mammal learning he's worthy of love—which will bookend the entire five-season journey.
S01E06 - "Convalescence"
"You Matter to Me" (From 'Waitress'), Sara Bareilles & Jason Mraz
"You Matter to Me" is a quiet duet about the profound impact of being seen and valued by another person, and it perfectly encapsulates the intimate breakthrough at the heart of this episode. After Luther nearly dies protecting him, Pawbert is drowning in guilt and the belief that he doesn't deserve to be loved. The episode's emotional climax comes in their late-night conversation when Pawbert asks, "Do you think I can be loved?" and Luther answers simply, "Yes." The song's gentle declaration—that one person can matter deeply to another without conditions or qualifications—mirrors this exchange exactly. The soft, hopeful tone of the Waitress duet matches this moment of tender recovery: not triumphant healing, but the first small proof that warmth is possible.
S01E13 - "Stay"
"Not While I'm Around" (From 'Sweeney Todd'), Len Cariou & Angela Lansbury
"Not While I'm Around" is a song of fierce, protective devotion—a promise that nothing will harm someone so long as the singer is there to guard them. This choice resonates powerfully with the episode's central revelation: Pawbert finally sharing the full story of Soren, his first love who "disappeared" after Milton discovered their relationship. When he admits to Luther, "I want someone to stay," and Luther responds, "Okay. I'm staying," the promise echoes the song's core vow. The recording by Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury, with its tender, almost parental quality, captures the protective intimacy of Luther holding Pawbert through the worst night of his memories. It is a promise made in darkness, and it holds.
S01E18 - "I Choose to Stay"
"I'm Here" (From 'The Color Purple'), Cynthia Erivo
"I'm Here" is an anthem of survival and self-declaration, sung by Celie at the moment she finally claims her own existence against everyone who tried to destroy her. The song's power lies in its defiance: after a lifetime of being told she was worthless, ugly, and better off dead, Celie stands up and declares "I'm beautiful, I'm here." This mirrors Pawbert's triumph over Dr. Silris Mawl, a psychological manipulator who used every wound Milton ever inflicted to try to convince Pawbert that suicide was the merciful choice. Pawbert counters each attack with the tools his pack and therapist have given him, finally declaring, "I choose to stay"—the series' thesis statement. Cynthia Erivo's soaring performance honors the magnitude of that choice.
S01E20 - "Mandated Joy"
"For a Moment" (From 'Wonka'), Calah Lane & Timothée Chalamet
"For a Moment" is a gentle duet about finding peace and connection in the midst of uncertainty, about stealing a moment of joy when the world offers no guarantees. The song's quiet intimacy matches the tender heart of this episode, which follows the pack's mandatory stand-down before the trial. Pawbert sees a movie for the first time in months, exchanges his first declarations of love with Luther, and experiences full intimacy. The film within the episode—Wonclaw's story of choosing joy even when everything is taken from you—becomes a mirror for Pawbert's own journey. The episode's final scene finds Pawbert and Luther holding each other in the dark, knowing the trial starts tomorrow, knowing prison waits beyond it, but choosing to be present in this moment anyway. The song's repeated refrain captures exactly what they're doing: taking what the world offers and holding it close. Joy before the storm.
S01E24 - "Last Morning"
"Found/Tonight" (From 'Hamildrops'), Ben Platt & Lin-Manuel Miranda
"Found/Tonight" is a mashup of "You Will Be Found" from Dear Evan Hansen and "The Story of Tonight" from Hamilton. The choice maintains the Dear Evan Hansen throughline established in the pilot—critical for a series about a broken mammal learning he's worthy of love—while weaving in Hamilton's themes of solidarity and endurance. The song's emotional core speaks directly to Pawbert's state as he enters prison: "Have you ever felt like nobody was there? Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?" He has. For twenty-four years, he was. But the answer the song offers is the answer the pack has given him: "When you're broken on the ground, you will be found." The episode ends with Pawbert in his cell, reading letters from Nick, Judy, and Luther, clutching his mother's photograph—proof that even behind walls, he is not alone. "No matter what they tell you, someone will come running, they'll take you home" echoes Luther's "Always," the promise that prison is separation but not abandonment. And Hamilton's contribution—"raise a glass to all of us, tomorrow there'll be more of us"—speaks to the pack that formed around him and will be waiting when he emerges. He will be found. He already has been.
Season 2
S02E06 - "Unconditional"
"I'll Cover You" (From 'RENT'), Original Broadway Cast
"I'll Cover You" from RENT is a love duet about devotion and protection, with the repeated promise "I'll cover you" capturing the unconditional commitment between partners. The song resonates deeply with this episode's emotional climax, where Nick, Judy, and Luther each deliver forgiveness to Pawbert in turn. Just as the song speaks of covering someone with love despite life's difficulties, the pack demonstrates that they will stand between Pawbert and his guilt, his past, and his self-loathing. Luther's forgiveness is particularly aligned with the song's themes: "I forgive you for what you did to yourself," he says, forgiving Pawbert for believing he was beyond repair. The episode ends with Pawbert finally allowing himself to be happy, and the song's warmth captures that release.
S02E21 - "Found Family"
"One Of Us" (From 'Paddington The Musical'), Tom Fletcher
The song opens with a plea: "There's a hundred different reasons why he shouldn't stay." There are. Pawbert tried to kill Judy. He tried to kill Nick. He burned evidence and left Gary to freeze. A hundred reasons, easily. But the song's answer is the pack's answer: "If he's looking for family, then he's already one of us." Not will be. Already is. The lyrics capture what happened to Nick, Judy, and Luther without any of them planning it: "From the moment I saw his face, the second I heard his voice, something fell into place, like I never had a choice. Didn't know you were incomplete, but it was so obvious." The pack didn't know they were missing something until Pawbert filled the space. The episode earns this—Gary arrives to thank Pawbert for protecting Agnes's legacy, the pack watches Pawddington the Musical (itself about a bear who finds his family), and Luther's "Always" closes the night. But the song's most devastating line lands in the tag, as Pawbert lies awake wondering if the "loud and determined" child his mother knew might still be recoverable: "I've tried painting the future but I'm never finished—how come I can't paint tomorrow without him in it?" The pack can't imagine tomorrow without him either. He's already one of them.
S02E24 - "Clean Slate"
"Seasons of Love" (From 'RENT'), Original Broadway Cast
"Seasons of Love" from RENT opens with its famous question about measuring a year, asking whether it should be counted in moments, in love, in the connections that give time meaning. This is precisely what Pawbert faces as he voluntarily returns to prison with one year remaining on his sentence. The episode is structured around countdowns and measurements: Day 1/365 in the notebook, the list of items logged into property storage, the promise of Wednesday visits. Yet the song reminds us that the true measure is not the days themselves but how they are filled. The episode ends with Pawbert writing "STAY" in his notebook, beginning the countdown that will end in freedom, while Luther keeps the soup pot and Nick and Judy release their tension together. Across three separate locations, the pack marks the beginning of this final year, measured not in minutes but in the love that will carry them through.
Season 3
S03E08 - "A Wanted Mammal"
"For Good" (From 'Wicked'), Kristin Chenoweth & Idina Menzel
"For Good" closes the season three finale as the perfect musical thesis for Luther and Pawbert's journey through the limited series. The song's central message—that two people can fundamentally change each other for the better—speaks directly to the episode's climactic moments: Luther publicly confessing his role as a Cliffside wolf guard, and Pawbert responding not with condemnation but with unconditional love. Where "Words Fail" opened the series with Pawbert's desperate confession and breakdown, "For Good" answers it with transformation and forgiveness—Luther is no longer the wolf who followed orders blindly, and Pawbert is no longer Milton's broken victim who believes he deserves nothing. The duet format mirrors how both mammals have shaped each other: Luther taught Pawbert he was worth protecting; Pawbert taught Luther that redemption was possible. As Pawbert returns to prison with "Finite. But enough." on his lips and the pack bond stronger than ever, the song's promise—"Because I knew you, I have been changed for good"—becomes the earned truth of three seasons.
Season 4
S04E01 - "Release"
"Journey to the Past" (From 'Anastasia'), Christy Altomare
"Journey to the Past" from Anastasia captures the essence of Pawbert's release day with uncanny precision. Like Anya searching for a home she barely remembers, Pawbert steps out of prison into a world he no longer recognizes, hoping that somewhere ahead lies the place he truly belongs. The song's central question of identity and belonging mirrors Pawbert's journey from institutionalized prisoner to free mammal finding his way home to Luther's house in the Meadowlands. This choice also creates a deliberate bookend with S01E24 "Last Morning," which used "Found/Tonight" as Pawbert entered prison with the promise of connection despite isolation. Now, "Journey to the Past" completes the arc: he is no longer searching for people who will find him through glass walls, but stepping forward to claim the home and family that waited for him.
S04E06 - "Day Pass"
"Happily Ever After" (Full Version), Jordan Fisher & Angie K.
The song opens with an invitation: "Ready to begin, let the wonder take hold." Pawbert is ready—barely, tentatively, but ready. The episode follows his first major outing since release, culminating in the Deersneyland fireworks that test every survival instinct he has. The lyrics speak directly to that moment: "Leave our fears behind us, not so far away from the dreams that live inside us." Pawbert can't leave his fears behind entirely—the loud sounds still trigger him, the crowds still press—but he stays anyway. The bridge earns its place over the credits: "The battles, the stories, the losses and all the glories—we're changed by the way we live every day. Just look up and reach to the sky, we all have the courage to fly." Pawbert has been through battles. He carries losses. But the song insists that happily ever after isn't something that happens to you—it's something you reach for. "Reach out and find your happily ever after." Not wait for. Find. When Luther whispers "Always" during the finale and Pawbert falls asleep on the ferry home, he has done exactly that: reached out, stayed present, and claimed a moment of joy despite everything in him that said he couldn't. The pack photo becomes "evidence of joy"—proof that he can do loud now, when he chooses it.
S04E14 - "Case Study"
"Both Sides, Now" (From 'CODA'), Emilia Jones
"Both Sides, Now" from CODA mirrors the episode's emotional core with striking precision. In the film, Ruby Rossi performs the song as an audition piece, a hearing girl caught between her deaf family and the hearing world, standing at the intersection and singing to claim her identity. Pawbert stands in a classroom caught between his criminal past and his present family, and speaks to claim his. The song's reflective quality of looking at clouds, love, and life from "both sides now" and finding them more complex than expected matches the episode's thesis about accommodation versus segregation, and about how the speciesism is not in Nick and Judy's relationship but in how society talks about it. The episode ends with Pawbert initiating "Always" for the first time, having spent the day standing at the intersection of who he was and who he is becoming.
S04E19 - "Operational Surprise"
"Home" (From 'The Wiz'), Stephanie Mills
"Home" from The Wiz lands with particular weight at the end of Luther's first birthday he has actually wanted to remember. The song's yearning for a place where love waits matches the revelation that unfolds across the episode: Luther, the operative who spent years building covers and walls, finally allowing himself to receive the proof of love he has always needed. The pack's gift of a framed version of The Chart, presented as "evidence of love," transforms a comedic document of his impossible behavior into something precious. When Luther admits he does not need to wish for anything because he already has what he would wish for, and later confesses this is the first birthday he has wanted to remember in thirty-four years, Stephanie Mills's powerful voice singing about finding home becomes the only possible response.
S04E23 - "From Now On"
"Tightrope" (From 'The Greatest Showman'), Michelle Williams
"Tightrope" from The Greatest Showman captures the episode's final image with perfect thematic resonance: four mammals on a couch, two asleep and two awake, discussing whether the precarious life they have built together will hold. The song's metaphor of choosing to walk a tightrope with someone rather than stay safe alone echoes Luther's admission that he wakes every day thinking this could be the day it falls apart, followed by the realization that there is nowhere else he would rather be terrified. The film's "Tightrope" is about Charity Barnum choosing uncertain adventure with the man she loves over comfortable stability, and Pawbert's journey across four seasons has been exactly that choice: trading the certainty of institutional walls for the beautiful, precarious freedom of pack.
S04E24 - "Loud and Determined"
"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.
Season 5
S05E01 - "Golden Age"
"Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" (From 'La La Land'), Emma Stone
"Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" serves as a mournful tribute to both the ZSI operatives who died in the cold open and the pack's golden age that is about to shatter. The episode opens with Perkins, Botasky, and White—three operatives who believed in their mission enough to die in Vladifrostok—and closes with Luther learning their intel never reached ZSI. The song's celebration of "the fools who dream" and "the mess that they make" honors these unnamed heroes who dreamed of protecting Zootopia and paid for it with their lives. Meanwhile, the pack watches La La Lamb in domestic bliss, unaware that their own golden age is ending. Emma Stone's wistful delivery matches Luther's final moment in the hallway, watching his pack laugh at a movie while he feels the first cold tendril of fear he hasn't felt in years.
S05E21 - "Final Position"
"Ne me quitte pas" (From 'Sans Attendre'), CĂ©line Dion
This is the first and only non-English end credit song in the series, and the choice is deliberately jarring—a French torch song over an unresolved cliffhanger. The episode ends with Luther collapsing after killing Icener, his body giving out from gunshot wounds, broken ribs, and internal bleeding. Nick performs desperate CPR on the stone floor while Pawbert cradles Luther's paw and screams for help. "Ne me quitte pas"—"don't leave me"—becomes Pawbert's wordless prayer, the repeated plea transcending language as Céline Dion's voice carries all the desperate longing the moment demands. Traditionally, cliffhangers don't get end credit songs because the tension needs to carry forward unbroken. But "Ne me quitte pas" doesn't break the tension—it intensifies it, transforming the credits into an extension of Pawbert's vigil.
S05E22 - "Complacency"
"Le Festin" (English Version from 'Ratatouille'), Annapantsu
The song plays diegetically—from a cooking competition on TV featuring Remy and Lionguini, a callback to the Zootopia 2 Easter egg where protagonists discovered the rat-controlled lion chef during the Lynxley Manor chase. In this universe, their "restaurant scandal" became an inspiration, and they built a culinary empire. The song's structure mirrors the pack's journey: dreams that came with sorrow, bitterness and struggle, defiance against everyone who said "never," and finally celebration and rest. The lyrics—"cheers to the end of the sorrow, the sadness, all the strife we've endured"—land directly on the tag, where the pack sits together watching television while repairs continue on the mansion. Luther survived surgery, Shaw and Mr. Big have been buried, Nick has been promoted to Detective, and the Root has been sealed with concrete. The song's invitation to "sit down and enjoy what's served" captures the episode's thesis: after everything, they've earned this moment of peace.
S05E23 - "Golden Again"
"I See the Light" (From 'Tangled'), Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi
The double proposal episode demanded a romantic duet, and "I See the Light" captures the wonder of finally seeing clearly after years of searching. Both couples propose on the same weekend without knowing the other planned the same thing—Luther to Pawbert under fairy lights at the mansion, Nick to Judy on a Los Zangeles rooftop. The song's signature phrase—"at last I see the light"—speaks to couples who have been together for years, through prison sentences and terrorism and near-death experiences, finally arriving at the obvious next step. The Tangled connection runs deeper: Rapunzel spent years trapped, believing she didn't deserve freedom, before Eugene showed her she was worth fighting for. Pawbert's journey from Milton's victim to Luther's husband mirrors that arc.
S05E24 - "Always"
"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, and now he sleeps safe in Luther's arms while the green sweater watches over them. The "witches can be right, giants can be good" line resonates with Mr. Big's arc—a crime boss who died protecting ZSI command and his people.
Then "Finale" from Dear Evan Hansen plays over the dedication and credits, completing the series bookend that began with "Words Fail" in the pilot. 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. Together, the two songs say: you have people who love you, AND you, just as you are, are enough.
Post-Credits
S05E51 - "Pawlawan"
"Somewhere" (From 'West Side Story'), Marni Nixon & Jim Bryant
"Somewhere" is the perfect choice for a scene about finding peace in an unexpected place. The post-credits scene follows the pack on their honeymoon in Pawlawan, where they unexpectedly encounter Cattrick and Kitty Lynxley—now "Patrick" and "Kay"—who escaped during the S03 prison breach and have been living on the island for four years. The song's opening lines—"there's a place for us, peace and quiet and open air"—describe Pawlawan literally: an island nation with no extradition treaties where mammals go to disappear. But the song also speaks to both families' journeys. Cattrick and Kitty found "a new way of living" far from the Lynxley legacy. The pack found their peace through a different route—staying, fighting, building something. The scene ends at sunrise the next morning, the pack back on the beach, planning nothing more significant than trying a restaurant's crab curry. "Just life, finally, as it should be."
Featured Songs
Songs that appear within episodes as part of the narrative, distinct from end credit songs.
S05E23 - "Golden Again"
"I'll Stand By You" (Originally The Pretenders; performed by Shakira at Hope For Haiti Now)
Gazelle's performance of "I'll Stand By You" at the Rebuild Reptile Ravine relief concert directly parallels Shakira—Gazelle's real-world voice actress—performing the same song at the Hope for Haiti Now telethon in January 2010. Both performances feature a pop star using their platform to support disaster relief. In the episode, the screen splits between Gazelle's performance and Gary De'Snake touring the restored neighborhood, creating visual counterpoint: the promise of support through music and the proof it worked through the rebuilt community. The song's message of solidarity—"I won't abandon you"—matches the city's recovery theme perfectly.
S05E24 - "Always"
"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.
Song Sources
| Source | Songs | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Dear Evan Hansen | 3 | S01E01, S01E24, S05E24 |
| RENT | 2 | S02E06, S02E24 |
| Into the Woods | 1 | S05E24 |
| Wicked | 1 | S03E08 |
| Waitress | 1 | S01E06 |
| Sweeney Todd | 1 | S01E13 |
| The Color Purple | 1 | S01E18 |
| Wonka | 1 | S01E20 |
| Hamilton/Hamildrops | 1 | S01E24 |
| Paddington The Musical | 1 | S02E21 |
| Anastasia | 1 | S04E01 |
| Disney Parks | 1 | S04E06 |
| The Wiz | 1 | S04E19 |
| The Greatest Showman | 1 | S04E23 |
| Lady and the Tramp | 1 | S04E24 |
| CODA | 1 | S04E14 |
| La La Land | 1 | S05E01 |
| Ratatouille | 1 | S05E22 |
| Tangled | 1 | S05E23 |
| Sans Attendre (CĂ©line Dion) | 1 | S05E21 |
| West Side Story | 1 | S05E51 |
| Moulin Rouge! The Musical | 1 | S05E24 |
| Hope For Haiti Now | 1 | S05E23 |
Thematic Patterns
Dear Evan Hansen Bookend
The series opens and closes with Dear Evan Hansen, reflecting Pawbert's complete arc:
- S01E01 "Words Fail" — Pawbert's breakdown; desperate need for love; "I never meant to make it such a mess"
- S01E24 "Found/Tonight" — Mashup maintaining DEH throughline while adding Hamilton's endurance themes
- S05E24 "Finale" — Self-acceptance; "today at least you're you, and that's enough"
The entire five-season journey is the distance between "Words Fail" and "Finale."
Golden Age Bookend (Season 5)
- S05E01 "Audition" — Fools who dreamed; fallen operatives; golden age about to shatter
- S05E24 "No One Is Alone" + "Finale" — No one alone anymore; golden age restored
Prison Bookend
- S01E24 "Found/Tonight" — Entering prison; "someone will come running to take you home"
- S04E01 "Journey to the Past" — Leaving prison; stepping forward to claim home
Transformation Bookend
- S01E01 "Words Fail" — Confession and breakdown
- S03E08 "For Good" — Forgiveness and transformation; "Because I knew you, I have been changed for good"
Distribution
| Season | Episodes | Songs | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 24 | 6 | 25% |
| Season 2 | 24 | 3 | 12.5% |
| Season 3 | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| Season 4 | 24 | 6 | 25% |
| Season 5 | 24 | 6 | 25% |
| Total | 104 | 22 | 21% |
Notes
- The series prefers musical theater over pop music, with the majority of songs drawn from Broadway shows.
- Songs are reserved for major emotional peaks—not every episode receives one.
- "Ne me quitte pas" (S05E21) is the only non-English end credit song, chosen because the emotional register transcends language.
- "Le Festin" (S05E22) plays diegetically within the episode rather than purely over credits.
- S05E24 is the only episode with two end credit songs, played in sequence.