After what feels like forever, Carmilla is finally back. Season 2 of the web series based off of J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella brings us a new set and new faces, as well as the return of familiar favorites.

We got to visit the Carmilla team on set during the last day of shooting (36 episodes shot in four days!). Series producer Steph Ouaknine took the time to give us the inside scoop on Season 2.

Steph Ouaknine via smokebomb.ca

AfterEllen.com: What can you tell us about Season 2 of Carmilla?

Steph Ouaknine: Season one was mostly about establishing relationships. Like, we see Laura and Carmilla meet for the first time. We see how they evolve throughout. We see her meeting all these new people. You kind of see how the “found family” comes together. Season two is really about, “Okay, so we start with these established relationships, and now the question is are they real and do they work?” There’s people from the past that come up. Other ones that kind of pull a lot of the characters in different directions. The real question of the season is, “Do they actually belong together?”

AE: Carmilla and Laura?

SO: No, everyone; all these different people. Since we’ve introduced these characters through half of season one now we really have the time to dig a little deeper into everyone. I’d say identity – what it means to be human – is probably the clearest theme in this season and how, if identities are conflicting, when is it too much of a problem for things to continue.

Laura (Elise Bauman)

AE: The new set—is that going to be reflected as a set change in the series?

SO: It’s definitely in the story. Because if we look at the Christmas special, it is the canon after Season 1. In 36, Laura’s like, “Let’s just leave.” So then the story does dictate they leave, they try to kind of almost leave Styria, but then they can’t go past the diner because then there’s like crazy villagers with pitchforks and stuff. And then we establish other things that force them to come back to campus.

The campus, you’ll see pretty soon, is kind of in disarray. They took down the Dean. They thought, “We won.” And then they’re like, “Oh shit. We just kind of unleashed something even worse.” Now it’s in total chaos. Like the Dean was horrific, but at least there was a small sacrifice every 20 years that kind of kept things controlled. And now that that ribbon’s gone, there’s no control anymore.

AE: So do we have a new bad?

SO: I’d say less of a new bad and more of a consequence. They thought they were saving the campus, but they fucked up. They went and fucked up big time. “Love will have its sacrifices” is the tagline. We see the sacrifices in season two. What happens when the best intentions don’t always lead to the best actions? Laura and Danny jump to things without thinking it through sometimes. It works out sometimes, but oftentimes it really doesn’t. Similar with a lot of the other characters. It’s definitely a lot about identity and consequence.

AE: Can you tell us if the Danny/Laura/Carmilla love triangle is any further developed?

SO: I wouldn’t call it a triangle because we’ve moved past the tension that we saw in mid-season one. So it’s not that anymore. But the characters are still always at play and things come up.

Danny (Sharon Belle)

AE: Do we have a new triangle?

SO: Ah, I wouldn’t say triangle, but there’s definitely like, I’d say less of a triangle and more of a–what’s the thing with five points? [Note: The four of us present did eventually determine it’s a pentagon] I wouldn’t say it’s romantic in nature. It’s more about opposite forces pulling in different directions. When you see how they all connect then it’s like, “All right, there’s some real choices to make.” Each choice will dictate where they end up.

Laura, Carmilla, Perry and LaF are on their way back to the campus because they can’t go past a certain point. Season one will pick up just as they return on campus in a new apartment that they found.