Development

In April 2016, FX confirmed that the eighth episode of the season would be titled "The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears", and that it would be written by co-executive producer Stephen Schiff, and directed by main cast member Matthew Rhys. This was Schiff's sixth writing credit, and Rhys' first directing credit.^[1]

Filming

Filming for the episode wrapped by January 20, 2016.^[2]

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears" was seen by an estimated 1.02 million household viewers with a 0.3 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 0.3 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.^[3] This was a 13% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.90 million household viewers with a 0.2 in the 18-49 demographics.^[4]

Critical reviews

"The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears" received universal acclaim. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 100% approval rating for the episode, based on 18 reviews. The site's consensus states: "'The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears' offers unexpected turns, a daring time leap, and ferocious family dynamics, all beautifully performed and written."^[5]

Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode an "amazing" 9.5 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "An introspective yet eventful episode of The Americans found the Jennings pushed to their limit – and Gabriel finally having to also see that was the case. It was especially fascinating seeing the different sides of Elizabeth here, as one assignment, with Young Hee, allowed her to simply relax and have fun at the movies, while another required her to brutally murder another woman she'd once had a friendly rapport with. Even her trip to EST – itself an interesting moment – took a turn when she laughed about how 'It's very American, the whole thing,' to an angry Philip. It seems almost simplistic at this point to call her an 'anti-hero' given all these nuances, but it's episodes like this that again underline that she and Philip are living dark, complicated lives that ask so much of them over and over again. And this time, Gabriel decided they'd been pushed too far. I hope they enjoyed that trip to Epcot though, because there's no way this break can last forever."^[6]

Erik Adams of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, "In a great flourish, The Americans makes The Jennings' lives as spies disappear. The magic of 'The Magic Of David Copperfield V: The Statue Of Liberty Disappears' is in transforming Elizabeth, Philip, Paige, and Henry into the happy family they've always pretended to be."^[7]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "Even by this series' remarkable standards, 'The Magic of David Copperfield' is a wonder, and the actors better than they've ever been before."^[8] Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "We say goodbye to Martha without saying anything at all."^[9]

Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote, "Martha's safe removal didn’t seem like a given last week, but it went smoothly, and the show quickly refocused itself. While the F.B.I. continued to look for Martha, not knowing that she was gone, and Philip and Elizabeth dealt with the repercussions, Paige re-emerged as the greatest existential threat to the Jennings household."^[10] Genevieve Koski of Vulture gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "From its cumbersome title on down, 'The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears' is fixated on the symbols and perceptions of Americanness — and consequently delivers the best episode of the season, one that re-centers the series at just the right moment."^[11]

Ben Travers of IndieWire gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, "With five episodes remaining in Season 4, it's apt the attention has shifted back to Paige. Martha was a worthy distraction, but this is the season danger, and nothing is more dangerous — as Elizabeth pointed out — than a teenager with a secret."^[12] Matt Brennan of Slant Magazine wrote, "In 'The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears,' after all, another lady vanishes, and in her wake what might have seemed like liberty turns out to be a prison, one of the characters' own design."^[13]

Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Good God a lot happens in this episode. The scale of 'The Magic of David Copperfield V' is relatively staggering for The Americans. But it's also at times strangely quiet and intimate. The dramatic, easy-going jazz at work here combined with occasional crash of two characters finally using their outdoor voices on each other make 'The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears' an unexpected entrant into the best The Americans episode discussion."^[14] Amy Amatangelo of Paste gave the episode a 8 out of 10 and wrote, "I might not be on board with the mid-episode time jump, but with only five episodes left this season, I can't wait to see what happens next. Things have apparently been status quo for seven months, but we know that can't last."^[15]

Accolades

At the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards, Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell submitted the episode to support their nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, while Margo Martindale received a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.^[16][17] Martindale would win the award, while Rhys would lose to Rami Malek for Mr. Robot and Russell would lose to Tatiana Maslany for Orphan Black.^[18][19][20]