WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for American Horror Stories “Clone!”The latest batch of episodes has finally arrives for Hulu’s 2024 “Huluween event,” with American Horror Stories’ “Clone” ending giving the spinoff one of its most disturbing conclusions yet. Serving as the direct spinoff of Ryan Murphy’s hit show American Horror Story, American Horror Stories tackles a brand-new bone-chilling tale in every episode rather than every season. Starring Victor Garber, among the most intriguing concepts in American Horror Stories season 4 is the episode “Clone,” which follows hospitalized tech giant David’s AI clone becoming acquainted with his lonely partner, John, while he’s recovering from a stroke.
While John initially rejects the clone, he eventually comes to love the AI David, perhaps more than the real man. However, everything changes when John gets a call that the real David is awake and healthy. John declares that he’s learned he can still be his old self and even share that life more with David, but the real David wholeheartedly rejects this. While still at the lab, David reveals that he realizes the ultimate partner isn’t John, it’s himself. David then shockingly kills John, with American Horror Stories’ “Clone” episode ending as David has sexual relations with his clone.
Why David Kills John In AHStories: Clone’s Ending
John Knows Too Much After Spending Time With His Android
David already seemed to have little regard for the passions and interests that John was focused on before the stroke, and his close brush with death proved that he no longer had any regard for John as an individual. Ultimately, John was a means to an end. David enjoyed that John loved him, would learn to cook for him, would please him sexually, and would give up his life and interests simply to stay at the house and be there when he needed him.
However, this wasn’t fulfilling enough for David, as he still wanted to find the perfect partner who wouldn’t have the same individual interests that tempted John. John was really just a means to an end to finding what David enjoyed in the most ideal romantic partner. Once John’s purpose in guiding the AI clone to be a loving romantic partner was complete, Victor Garber’s human American Horror Stories “Clone” character knew he had to kill his significant other in order to keep his secret safe.
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At the very end of the episode, David remarks that there’s an AI arms race with other nations around the world. Therefore, information about the AI clone must stay top-secret, which is why he didn’t tell John about it in the first place. Once John’s purpose in David’s plan was fulfilled, he killed his partner in order to prevent the knowledge of the AI clones being exposed to the rest of the world. David may not be one of the most terrifying villains in American Horror Story’s universe, but he certainly is one of the most sinister narcissistic antagonists.
David’s True Relationship With His AI Clone Explained
David Chooses His Clone As The Perfect Romantic Partner
While the AI David was meant to be a figure who could stand in for the real man when he was unable to fulfill his duties, such as while he was recuperating from his stroke, American Horror Stories’ episode ultimately revealed that he was being used for David’s own romantic and sexual gratification. The final scene of “Clone” sees the real David and AI David in bed together after having intercourse, with the clone offering to perform more sexual acts after stating that he enjoys whatever the real David enjoys.
After disposing of John, David has found his ideal partner in himself. Nobody else was ever going to shape up to the egotistical view that David has of himself, so he finds himself most attracted to and satisfied by getting that pleasure from his own image. With the deeper societal commentary on tech giant David wanting to be involved with himself, “Clone” feels more like an episode of Black Mirror than the typical American Horror Stories fare.
Why David Really Wanted John To Train His AI Clone
David Wanted John To Turn His Clone Into A More Human & Loving Partner
In a video message that he had recorded prior to his stroke, David originally told John that he wanted him to spend time with the AI clone in order to make him more human. AI David would have the same appearance, memories, and thought process as the real man, but he still needed to become less cold and unfeeling. David decided that the solution to this problem was John, as John makes him a big part of who he is today and is the only thing that can make the android feel those more human, romantic, loving emotions.
American Horror Stories
‘ “Clone” ending doesn’t reveal what David did to cover up John and Jordan’s deaths & whether they remained hidden.
However, David’s plan wasn’t really just to get his android clone to become more human. That was part of it, but David really wanted to make the android mimic John’s romantic feelings, dedication, and free-spirited nature more closely. Ultimately, his plan was to make sure that AI David combined the best parts of himself with the romantic and giving attributes that he received from John. David enjoyed that John would cook for him, fight for him, sexually pleasure him, and sacrifice himself to meet his needs, and this would all be instilled in the android during their time together.
Why David Makes His Android Forget John
Memories Of Loving John Would Keep The Clone From Loving David
American Horror Stories‘ “Clone”’ ending includes a sad moment in which the AI David finds an old photo booth picture of himself and John. When the android asks if he’s supposed to know who that man in the photo is, David replies in the negative. It’s clear that David has altered the android’s memory to forget anything about John, and the reason seems to be linked to the idea that John’s history might change the clone’s perception about David. Plus, it might lead the android to ask questions about what happened to John and potentially expose his murder.
David needs the android’s focus to be completely and entirely on himself, and any memory of John would be a distraction. The AI David had also fallen in love with John during their time together at the house, so those feelings would likely have remained had John not been wiped from his memory in the Ryan Murphy horror show. David wants himself to be the only person who the clone has attachments to and love for, and any feelings for John would complicate that.
The Real Meaning Of American Horror Stories: Clone’s Ending
Clone Warns Against The Narcissism Of Powerful Tech Giants
Tackling very different subject matter from the other episodes in this batch, such as American Horror Stories’ “X” medical horror or the nightmare hellscape of “Backrooms,” “Clone” deals more with the societal fears of the tech giants pioneering such advancements than AI itself. While the android does descend into a terrifyings state when he brutally murders and disposes of Jordan’s body, it’s David who provides the scariest cautionary tale. David’s story criticizes the narcissism of the wealthy, highly revered tech “elite” whose egos and images become more important than the tech they’re supposedly making to better society.
“Clone” makes the tech giant’s ego the horror tale’s dangerous, evil villain.
“Clone” creates an image of these figures as some of the ultimate narcissists, which is greatly highlighted by David deciding nobody is better suited to have his love or give him love than himself. While his AI clone could be used to better society, David uses it for his own personal gratification instead. With John’s sacrificial death and AI David’s sadness at seeing John’s image, American Horror Stories’ “Clone” makes the tech giant’s ego the horror tale’s dangerous, evil villain.
The creators of American Horror Story reunite to launch American Horror Stories, a horror anthology series created for FX and Hulu. Centering on a new, unique horror story each episode, AHS follows various new characters through each episode as they experience their own terrifying tales, often including the supernatural.
- Cast
- Sierra McCormick , Paris Jackson , Merrin Dungey , Matt Bomer , Naomi Grossman , John Carroll Lynch , Charles Melton , Billie Lourd
- Release Date
- July 15, 2021
- Seasons
- 2
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
- Franchise(s)
- American Horror Story
- Writers
- Manny Coto , Brad Falchuck
