Reminiscing with vampires part 2: The cure for bloodlust?
One thing I always found curious about bhUK is that no one ever talks about finding a cure for vampirism. It was truly a terminal disease, just one that extended their (undead) lives excruciatingly. There were ways to manage it temporarily, but there was no way to ever be free of the condition short of proper death. Though the amount of free will the vampires had is debatable (the condition drove their will without a doubt), one thing seemed to affect their drive to kill more than anything: memories.
Is the key to a vampire cure in the memory?
The theory goes back to episode 1.5. Mitchell has just recovered from being attacked by Herrick. He can’t go back, and he can’t defeat him. His deal for protection for George and Annie has been nullified. He decides to give himself up to Herrick in exchange for George and Annie’s safety. He’s trying to convince George and Annie that it’s the best thing to do. George concedes (or so we’re led to believe), but Annie is devastated. Mitchell explains that he isn’t a victim. He was aware when he killed people. He can remember every detail of their murders. Only blood can make the torture of seeing their faces stop.
Fast forward. Herrick, killed but not “proper” killed, is resurrected via a blood ritual. He’s found at the hospital mental ward with total amnesia. George and Nina bring him home. In this state, he’s harmless. He really is. Even when Cara tries to feed him blood, he’s disgusted by it. He’s not faking. He doesn’t know he's a vampire.
Fast forward again. We meet Hal. Hal has been clean for 55 years. He uses concentration exercises to control his blood lust. Exercises, we could surmise, that suppress his memories. It worked, for a very long time.
A memory wipe isn’t a perfect cure – as we saw with Herrick, it means losing the essence of who you are. But it does seem to effectively “cure” vampirism, at least the part that makes them kill.
Remember in Doctor Who – coincidentally in the episode “Gridlocked” featuring Lenora Crichlow – when drug dealers sold patches that could make a person forget memories they didn’t want? What if something like that was developed in the bh universe? If vampires could apply a patch to eradicate memories, would they crave blood?
Part 1: http://harlequinn823.tumblr.com/post/120105608574/reminiscing-with-vampires-pt-1-more-when
