Character

Kids (Ad Characters)

wholesome innocent aspirational vulnerable fear-evoking

Kids portrayed in a political advertisement that Toby Ziegler and Will Bailey watch in Toby's office. They sit in the back of the family car with mom, dad, camping gear, and dog Rex, ready for a vacation earned through hard work. This wholesome image amplifies the ad's emotional manipulation, irking Toby and forcing Will to commit to a counter-ad. As visual props, they drive the White House team's debate on responding to Republican messaging tactics.

4 appearances

Political Advertisements

Also known as: KIDS (ad characters), the kids

Kids (Ad …'s Journey

A timeline through the narrative

4 moments

S4E21 · Life on Mars

Soccer Moms and the Ethics of an Attack Ad

Implied concern for safety creates emotional leverage for the ad.

Appear silently in the back of the ad's family car, their presence invoked to intensify the mother's worry and the ad's emotional stakes.

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S4E21 · Life on Mars

Frustration to a Counter-Ad: Toby Forces a Plan

Portrayed vulnerability; functionally used to provoke parental protective instincts.

Referenced in the ad as being in the back seat; their presence heightens the emotional stakes and is explicitly cited by Will as the reason the ad will worry parents.

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S4E21 · Life on Mars

Gas‑Mask Shock and the 'Clear Blue Sky' Pivot

Portrayed as frightened and exposed to the implied hazard, designed to pull parental sympathy.

The children are described as part of the family emerging with gas masks — their vulnerability amplifies the ad's emotional manipulation and the team's debate about ethics.

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S4E21 · Life on Mars

Toby's Moral Rebuke and the Abrupt Exit

Portrayed fear and vulnerability within the ad image.

Mentioned as the children in the commercial pitch; their presence amplifies perceived danger and emotional stakes in the proposed ad.

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