The Insider.com

Since day one, Cassie Blake and Faye Chamberlain have squabbled like siblings, and last night's mid-season finale revealed that they actually are! OK, they might be.

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Secret Circle threw fans for a dizzying loop with the reveal that Cassie's M.I.A father, John Blackwell, sired another member of the circle. Pair that with Jane's confused admission that Dawn used to follow John around like a love-sick puppy in high school, and all that's missing is Maury Povich announcing "You Are The Father!"

Executive producer Andrew Miller recently chatted with select members of the press after a screening of last night's episode and teased what lies ahead for this theorized sister act, the town of Chance Harbor and a few new arrivals -- check it out!

Who is John Blackwell?
Cassie's -- and possibly Faye's -- father will come to be a very important part of The Secret Circle when it returns in 2012. "He's a complicated figure, but we'll get into a little more of his background and exactly what happened to him as we continue," Miller said, adding that if -- a big emphasis on that if -- he is still alive, "Blackwell would be someone that has a long plan and has had a long plan."

Learning that her father is one branch on the dark magic tree will lead Cassie to "understand something about herself that she never knew," Andrew says, which will push all the characters to "interesting and dark places."

Sisters? Did The Writers Even Read The Books?!?
While Andrew wouldn't come out and confirm that Faye is Blackwell's other baby, his sly wink was all the confirmation this guy needed. But that is just the latest (R.I.P. Nick) storyline to diverge majorly from the original books. But fret not fans of the written word, Andrew says that 2012 will be a safe haven for you. "In a weird way, the next chunk [of episodes] almost embrace the books more. We can't follow the books as a road map because it's so different. [But] there's history there about [the] kids being born in the same year that we'll start to explore," he says. "That's one answer we'll find that's similar to the books."

Faye Steps It Up
When the show returns in 2012, it will see Faye newly focused on her craft. "Faye has wanted her own individual magic from the get-go, and the idea that Cassie is the one that has this opportunity is infuriating. It will drive her more to separate from the group and find alternative ways to do magic on her own," the EP said. "Cassie is a very strong witch because of her bloodline, and there are other people with very strong bloodlines, too, and power is a tricky thing. It's a seductive mistress, and you never really know where it's going to go."

More Family Tree Action
Cassie's lineage isn't the only one coming into play next year -- we're about to meet Charles' mother, played by Stephanie Kramer. "We like the idea that Charles has complicated relationships with women [and] a lot of it comes from his mother -- a powerful elder, maybe more powerful than we've seen [before]," Andrew teases.

Jake: Gone or Just On A Slow Boat?
After saving Cassie and disobeying his "boss," Jake shipped out of Chance Harbor to make good on his promise to Adam. But that wasn't the last we've seen of his deep V, right? "We're figuring that out right now," Andrew says of bringing actor Chris Zylka back for more episodes. As for Jake's evolving feelings for Cassie, the EP warns that should he come back, his warm fuzzies for one member of the circle might spell doom for the rest. "When Jake was trying to take Cassie away, I believe he would have sacrificed the whole other circle [to do so]."

Exactly Who Is This Council?
The omnipresent council mentioned repeatedly by the older generation of witches is going to come into play in 2012. "There's lots to learn about this council. We started with Isaac and he's become a really interesting character for us but he's one of many and the history of the council will surprise us and goes back longer than anyone thinks right now," Andrew says. "We'll find out that they've been working their way through the years to gain an advantage on the witches. We'll learn how it affects some of our backstory and how it involves them."

Speaking of 16 Years Ago...
Andrew reveals that the fire that killed many members of the circle's parents will definitely be explored. "We do need to delve into this backstory and we are exploring ways to experience that past in what I think are really exciting and interesting ways." Those looks back (but not straight-forward flashbacks) will begin pretty soon in 2012. "We'll start to see more of the past than we've seen thus far."

And if that didn't get your wands all a-twitter Secret Circle fans, then check out this sensational promo for the January 5, 2012 episode!