The fuller story
“The Diamond Dogs” premiered on Apple TV+ on September 18, 2020. It was written by Leann Bowen and directed by Declan Lowney. Rebecca asks Ted to come along to a meeting with the club’s minority shareholders, the Milk sisters, and while the two of them wait at the pub, about fifteen minutes in, Ted gets to work on the name.
First comes a promise: “I’m gonna be an udder gentleman, okay?” Then a question: “Hey, I wonder if they’ve ever seen the movie Bridget Jones’s Dairy.” And then, a few seconds later, the apology that beats them both: “Sorry, that’s not my breast milk pun. I can do better.”
Say that last one out loud. It isn’t his best milk pun; it’s his breast milk pun. The joke is about failing at a joke, and it lands harder than the two it’s apologizing for. That’s the whole Ted Lasso method in eleven words: aim low, miss on purpose, and let the miss be the gift.
Why it matters
Notice where the joke points: at a name, and at himself. That’s the difference between being playful about milk and being crude about it, and it’s a line NURturing deSirE tries to walk on every page.
Milk is funny. Bodies are funny. The book’s FAQ asks whether it’s okay to laugh during nursing, and the answer is yes. In the opening letter I hoped readers would giggle when things get awkward. Ted would approve. Laughter isn’t the opposite of taking intimacy seriously; very often it’s the way in.
