Mike Young makes a return appearance on Thursday’s episode of Neighbours, but he gives Jane another setback when he says he has an enticing job offer in the UK.
Jane Harris (Annie Jones) has had a difficult week, and there is no sign that things will get any better anytime soon!
A few potential Erinsborough High parents were caught off guard earlier in the week when Jane confronted Terese (Rebekah Elmaloglou) in person on the school premises.
Jane then went to an extravagant opening of Leo’s (Tim Kano) winery, which she had heavily invested in back in 2022 to assist him in launching a whisky brand. After drinking a lot of “Jolly Janes,” the cocktail named after her, Jane discovered that she was becoming a little too tipsy for Wendy (Candice Leask) and Susan (Jackie Woodburne).
But after multiple attempts to get Jane to quit drinking, Jane ended up going home after spilling a drink all over naive Holly (Lucinda Armstrong-Hall).
Soon after, Susan paid Jane a visit and tried to comfort her when she mentioned that Terese’s remark about Erinsborough High enrolment figures declining under her supervision kept coming back to her.
Naturally, Susan was uncomfortable when Jane inquired about Karl (Alan Fletcher), who had been promised a job by Terese at Eirene Rising, should it proceed, before departing on a cross-country journey with Harold (Ian Smith).
Susan texted Karl right away, saying, “Jane can’t know about Terese’s job offer.” Regretfully, Karl texted Jane at the same moment, and Karl’s responses were unclear. By texting Jane about his job offer, Karl unintentionally broke up Jane and Susan’s romance.
Susan went to No. 22 after leaving to discuss the situation with Terese. Sensing the severity of the situation, Toadie (Ryan Moloney) went to see Jane in an attempt to mediate a truce between her and Susan. After considering Toadie’s advice, Jane concluded that her bond with Susan was too valuable to sever.
Jane was only happy for a short while, though, as it was revealed in today’s episode that the school will be closing at the end of the year and that Terese’s offer had been accepted by the Department of Education.
Jane, enraged, rushes to No. 22 and scolds Terese, presumably thinking that her actions satisfy her. She was clear that the school closure is a blow the community will have to bear with after 50 years of learning and watching pupils grow into adults, including her own husband.
In an attempt to inspire guilt, she says to Terese, “And just like that, it’s all over!”
Jane bemoans to Susan and Sam (Henrietta Graham) from her home. It’s a terrible state of circumstances that Jane will have to be the one to close the school just six months after taking the lead role.
Then, as though fate had stepped in, Jane gets a call from Mike (Guy Pearce) right when she needs it!
Since Jane came back to Erinsborough to try to salvage the school, Mike has been travelling the UK alone and is currently staying at a castle in Scotland.
He tells Jane and Sam that a business owner has offered him a position as a tour guide because he thinks Mike’s sweet voice will appeal to American tourists more than his own thick Glaswegian accent.
Mike, a motorcycle enthusiast, would love this opportunity, which is offered by a comprehensive motorbike tour company that specialises in bike restoration in their own time.
Elevating herself for Mike, Jane asks if that’s something he’d be interested in. He acknowledges that it is, but he declined the offer to remain at home with her while she’s “busy saving the world.”
But Jane is aware that he is not possible to be more mistaken. Jane breaks down the last few weeks’ events and sends him a download of her sadness.
“Is there really no hope for the school to be saved?” Mike inquires, but Jane said the fight was finished.
Jane proposes Mike reevaluate the job offer after realising it’s too good to refuse and that she’s not the ideal company right now. After all, she and Sam could spend Christmas with him in just a few months once the school let out.
Finally, she would get to visit some of his great-grandfather’s old haunts, and after the holidays, they could head back home to begin the next chapter.
Mike concurred, telling Jane he would miss her terribly but acknowledging that, with everything going on, it sounded like a fantastic idea. It was, of course, reciprocal.
Regretfully, Jane suffers yet another setback. How much longer is she able to endure?