This week on Home and Away In Australia, Jo’s ex-boyfriend is about to throw a spanner in the works for her and Tane, as Eddie arrives in Summer Bay.
Following months of will they/won’t they, Tane (Ethan Browne) and Jo (Maddison Brown) finally decided to give romance a go in recent Australian episodes, but soon found themselves deciding to keep it a secret from Jo’s family.
After learning from Lacey (Sophea Pennington) that Jo and Tane were into each other, David (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) was concerned when he found Tane’s police record amongst a pile of suspended sentences awaiting their annual review at the station.
Realising it wouldn’t be long before her father intervened, Tane met up with Jo and told her the truth about his record and what happened with baby Poppy last year.
Later confronted by David in the surf club, Tane told him that he’d now been honest with Jo about his past, but David still had his concerns.
Pointing out how fragile Jo had been in the two years since her mother’s death, and the various complications that Tane had in his life, David voiced his opinion that Jo deserved something simpler.
Despite David’s warnings, Tane eventually decided to give things a go with Jo. He confirmed to Jo that he did want her, and she kissed him before suggesting they take it somewhere more private.
The pair then checked into a room at the Bay Motel, where things quickly began to heat up.
Jo originally wanted to keep their relationship secret from Lacey, not wanting to rub her new romance in her sister’s face so soon after Theo’s (Matt Evans) death. However, when Lacey quickly learnt the truth and gave the pair her blessing, Jo was ready to go public with Tane.
However, Tane asked her if they could continue to keep things quiet, as he was worried about how David would react to the development.
Yet David will soon be the least of their problems, as Thursday’s Australian episode saw the arrival of new character Eddie Shepherd, played by Stephen Madsen.
And, as new spoilers reveals, he’s about to make life a lot more complicated for Jo and Tane.
Eddie is the first musician signed to Remi’s (Adam Rowland) new Back on Track record label.
While Theo was originally meant to be the first artist signed to Remi’s label, his tragic death meant that Remi was back to square one with finding his first signing.
Last week, he and Sonny (Ryan Bown) invited Eddie to see their new music studio in the city. Despite a slight wobble when Remi was forced to reveal that not only did they not yet have any signed artists, but their recording equipment hadn’t yet arrived from Germany, Sonny managed to charm Eddie into signing with them.
This week, “Remi’s got big plans for Eddie” on Tuesday – but little does he know, his new recording artist already knows someone in Summer Bay, as “Eddie complicates things for Jo” in Wednesday’s episode.
TV Week has now revealed that Eddie will walk out of the Surf Club in upcoming episodes and bump into David, aka his ex-girlfriend’s dad. As the two reconnect, Eddie asks about Jo, and David begins to fill him in with the closure the family have recently gained over Kristina’s death.
Hoping that Eddie’s reappearance will help cheer Jo up, David decides to invite him over for a family dinner. But how will Jo react to being ambushed by her ex?
As Jo and Eddie come face to face in the beach house, Lacey can tell that there are unresolved issues between the pair.
As the family all sit down for dinner and Eddie begins to fill them in on his fledgling new career as a musician, Jo gets a call from Tane.
The new couple are meant to have a date that evening, but Tane is left disappointed when Jo decides to call it off. Is she really choosing her ex over her new love already?
A promo which aired after last Thursday’s episode gives us our first look at this week’s drama. It begins with Jo and David talking at the beach, as Tane walks past with baby Archie.
Jo can’t help but look in her new boyfriend’s direction and the pair share a smile – both knowing they’re playing with fire by continuing to keep their romance a secret from Jo’s dad.
“When new love blooms, it’s hard to resist,” says the promo’s voiceover.
The promo briefly takes us back to the motel room where the pair first slept together, as Tane suggests to Jo that they continue to keep their romance under wraps.
“Why?” Jo asks. By that point Lacey had already caught them out, meaning Jo was ready to announce their relationship to the world.
“It’s actually your dad I’m worried about,” Tane explains.
Another scene from an upcoming episode sees Jo and Tane talking at the surf club, as Tane spots David walking down the stairs from Salt.
“Anyway, thanks, appreciate it,” Jo says awkwardly, feigning the end to an innocent conversation as her dad approaches.
“What did he want?” David asks his daughter when it’s just the two of them.
“Oh, nothing,” Jo says as innocently as she can.
However, as if David’s suspicions weren’t enough to keep the new couple on their toes, a new arrival is about to put their whole relationship at risk.
At the Beach House, newcomer Eddie walks around the corner while Jo is in the kitchen, and it’s soon revealed that the pair know each other well – they used to date!
“Eddie!” Jo exclaims, surprised to see her old flame in her new house.
“It’s been a long time,” says Eddie.
“Sure has!” replies a dumbstruck Jo.
“But will her past break his heart?” asks the promo’s voiceover, as we see Tane outside the surf club, where he comes across the pair deep in conversation and looking overly friendly.
When Tane next sees Lacey, he asks her what’s going on.
“I saw Jo earlier with some guy…” he begins, and Lacey already knows who he’s talking about.
“He’s um, Jo’s… ex,” Lacey explains, sheepishly.
As Eddie reconnects with David, he asks if there’s anyone special in Jo’s life.
“Not that I’m aware of,” David replies, before he continues with a wry smile: “Hopefully that’s about to change.”
When Tane later catches up with Jo and explains that he knows that her ex is back in town, he’s just got one question – “So, where does that leave us?”
As Jo looks unsure on how to answer, it’s clear that the newcomer’s arrival is set to cause major issues for Tane and Jo’s new relationship.
Who will Jo choose?
While we don’t yet know how long Eddie is sticking around, we do know that he’ll be here for at least a month, as he’s set to feature in this year’s season finale, which usually airs on Australian screens in late November.
In late July, a post on Tristan Gorey’s Instagram showed Stephen Madsen alongside a number of the show’s existing cast members, including fellow newcomer Lach Millar.
The photo was believed to be taken when the cast were filming scenes in Cowra, NSW, for what is rumoured to be a dramatic train accident for the 2025 season finale.
32-year-old Stephen grew up in Mona Vale, a 20-minute drive to Palm Beach, and has previously starred in Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries and Secret Bridesmaids’ Business.
He’s also set to star in Spartacus: House of Ashur, which is expected to be released later this year.
