The major cliffhanger on which The Vampire Diaries concluded its perfect first season will play a major role on season two, producer Julie Plec says.

Referring to the shock of Katherine arriving in Mystic Falls, Plec told TV Guide Magazine this week that "one of the big surprises [on season two] is that Katherine comes face to face with Elena."

This will be interesting for Nina Dobrev, of course, who joked about asking for two paychecks next year and talked about the challenge in playing dual roles in one scene: "It will be difficult because a lot of acting is reacting to the other person, but it'll be fun to step out of my comfort zone."

The CW has not yet released a season premiere date for The Vampire Diaries, but one thing is for certain: it can't arrive soon enough!

Discuss the show now, and all summer long, in our TV Fanatic forum.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.