American Horror Stories Season 4: X Ending Explained

Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers from American Horror Stories season 4, episode 3, “X.”American Horror Stories returns with a new set of episodes just in time for Halloween 2024, and one of the installments, “X,” revolves around a mysterious (and terrifying) patient in a hospital. Hulu’s horror anthology TV show created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk serves as a spinoff to the duo’s original (and widely successful) horror series American Horror Story. Each episode depicts a different, terrifying story, and American Horror Stories Season 4, episode 3, “X,” is certainly among the creepiest installments of the show, thanks in large part to the aforementioned patient. It also helps that this is the first black-and-white episode in the series.

Mia Isaacs stars as Claire Michaels in the cast of American Horror Stories Season 4, Episode 3. Claire is a nurse who stumbles upon a strange escaped patient At the beginning of the story. The woman, Alice Taylor, can’t speak but also can’t close her mouth because it’s gaping. As “X” continues, Claire discovers the truth behind Alice’s condition and where she came from – Alice is part of the Springhill program, which is ostensibly designed to provide lifesaving (and free) care to cancer patients. Instead, doctors are torturing them and using them as test subjects. Unfortunately, Claire joins them at the end of the episode.

Ward X & The Springhill Program Explained

Ward X is where the zombified patients are kept

Claire learns about Ward X, which is where the Springhill Program patients are kept, After meeting Alice in American Horror Stories Season 4, Episode 3. Alice’s condition (plus the fact that she killed an orderly and is on the loose) pushes Claire to dig deeper during her time at the hospital. Her file on the computer doesn’t contain much of her story, but it does claim that Alice has died. Since Claire obviously knows she isn’t, the nurse searches and finds Alice’s paper file, which goes into further detail about what happened to her at Pinecrest Memorial Hospital.

Alice was admitted for squamous cell carcinoma (skin cancer) and her cause of death is listed as “Patient Expired on the Operating Table.” Then, Alice, presumed dead, is transferred to Ward X, III Medical professionals involved with the Springhill program perform experiments on cancer patients to cure them. However, as proven by Alice, these tests have adverse side effects. Essentially, the patients were transformed into zombie-like figures in the episode of The American Horror Story Spinoff.

Dr. Nostrum is in charge of Ward X in the story of American Horror Stories Season 4, episode 3. Meanwhile, Justin, the orderly that Alice killed, was also part of the program, as was Claire’s nurse friend, Lily Mulling. actually, Many people (except Claire, of course) at Pinecrest Memorial Hospital know about or are involved with Ward X. Therefore, it is difficult for Claire to make any progress in shutting down the Springhill program, except to save a young boy with cancer who was about to be admitted. So, it makes sense why Claire’s attempts were ultimately unsuccessful.

Why Dr. Nostrum tries to kill Claire

Claire finds out about Ward X

Once Claire learns the truth about Ward X, she takes the information to Dr. Nostrom, played by Henry Winkler on the TV show. She is unaware of his influence on the horrific program, but the oncologist soon lets her in on his secret. Dr. Nostrum is trying to recruit Claire By trying to convince you that they are helping people. However, after seeing what they did to Alice, Claire doesn’t know to trust Dr. Nostrum or the Springhill program and wants to help in his research. She obviously makes the right call as Dr. Nostrum then tries to kill Claire.

Dr. Nostrum, seeing how passionate Claire is about stopping the program, wants to forbid her from telling anyone about Ward X. He starts choking her, wants to subdue the nurse and make her his next test subject. however, Claire gets the upper hand and injures Dr. Nostrum’s eye before knocking him out in the American Horror Stories Season 4, Episode 3.

Do Claire and Malcolm Die in American Horror Stories Season 4, Episode 3?

Claire & Malcolm get admitted into the Springhill program

Unfortunately, neither Claire nor Malcolm get happy endings American Horror Stories Season 4, Episode 3. Malcolm, the hospital’s security guard, helps Claire in her pursuit to unravel the truth in “X.” however, Malcolm’s association with the nurse resulted in him being brought to Ward X along with her At the end of the horror anthology episode.

While Claire and Malcolm are on the operating table, Dr. Nostrom explains that he plans to give them cancer so they can become his next test subjects. However, Alice escapes again and helps Claire kill Dr. Nostrom and the attending nurse. Despite the death of the oncologist, Claire and Malcolm still end up in Ward X, where they were tested on and turned into “angels” (as Dr. Nostrom calls them) like the rest of the Springhill Program patients.

Why Detective Samuels doesn’t stop Ward X

Ward X has ties to law enforcement

Claire thinks the horror is over after Dr. Nostrum died American Horror Stories Season 4, Episode 3. However, when she later wakes up, she soon learns that is not the case. Claire tells Detective Samuels everything she knows about Ward X and the Springhill program after killing Dr. Nostrom. Wanting to see the place for themselves, Detective Samuels lets Claire show him where Ward X is. When they get there, however, it becomes clear that the law enforcement officer will not be Claire’s (or anyone else’s) savior, especially when she sees that Alice has been put back in her cage.

Detective Samuels lets the other nurses take Claire away to run tests on her at the end of American Horror Stories Season 4, Episode 3. He explains to Claire that his daughter has leukemia and would do anything for her. Obviously, those behind the Springhill program Promised to heal Detective Samuels’ daughter in exchange for his silence and cooperation.

How the Springhill program continues after Dr. Nostrum’s death

Springhill has more connections than first thought in American Horror Stories

Claire remarks during the finale of American Horror Stories Season 4, Episode 3, that Ward X should be shut down because she killed Dr. Nostromo. But as one of the nurses points out, The Springhill program is “bigger than any one person.” His reach expanded far beyond Dr. Nostrum’s influence and involved many more people than Claire ever imagined. They won’t stop until they’ve perfected the cure, and until then, Claire, Malcolm, Alice, and a few others will continue to be Tested while the world thinks they are dead in American Horror Stories.