Well, this is probably the most cynical view of the episode I've ever seen, and I'm not even entirely sure how to respond to it, because I feel like you didn't really give a reason, it just feels like angry, hateful ranting. That's fine, honestly, everyone needs to vent about stuff.

 Really though, I can't say my thoughts are in anyway similar to yours. I thought the episode was pretty funny, charming and heartwarming. Pinkie comes across as a good sister, she just wants to get Maud the best present she can, and she's so excited to do it, she's willing to give up something she loves for that, I don't see how this kind of thing is out of character for Pinkie.

 And, I like Maud. I'm not a fanboy obsessive over her, but I like her. She's funny and seems like good sister, even if she's not exactly the most "Exciting" pony. Nothing wrong with that.

@BasementLuna, are you really sure you read all of my post? I gave plenty of reasons. It's ok to disagree with my beliefs, grown ups do that sometimes. You disagree, but my REVIEW being something other than glowing praise doesn't automatically make it a "Cynical and angry rant", nor does that make it invalid.

I like Maud. She's a funny character. Or rather, I liked her before this episode. ...Nah, that's not fair. I like her, and this was just a weak episode. A really weak and stupid filler episode.

Pinkie being super excited over a gift to Maud is in character. Pinkie needing to learn how gifts function is the writer dropping the ball. Especially since they've implied Pinkie is rich earlier in the series. Or at least, that she knows how to bargain and how money works! Remember the duck season two bits gag in Fluttershy Episode? Also, on a minor note, Rarity pulling off a Pinkie impression implies that it's something all ponies can inherently do, not something unique to Pinkie, party ponies, or Earth ponies willing to use that much internal magic.

@BasementLuna, are you really sure you read all of my post? I gave plenty of reasons. It's ok to disagree with my beliefs, grown ups do that sometimes. You disagree, but my REVIEW being something other than glowing praise doesn't automatically make it a "Cynical and angry rant", nor does that make it invalid.

 

I like Maud. She's a funny character. Or rather, I liked her before this episode. ...Nah, that's not fair. I like her, and this was just a weak episode. A really weak and stupid filler episode.

 

Pinkie being super excited over a gift to Maud is in character. Pinkie needing to learn how gifts function is the writer dropping the ball. Especially since they've implied Pinkie is rich earlier in the series. Or at least, that she knows how to bargain and how money works! Remember the duck season two bits gag in Fluttershy Episode? Also, on a minor note, Rarity pulling off a Pinkie impression implies that it's something all ponies can inherently do, not something unique to Pinkie, party ponies, or Earth ponies willing to use that much internal magic.

Okay, know this is a really late response, sorry. I checked back here for a while after posting but I eventually forgot and just remembered, so I figured I might as well respond even if I am late.

 Okay, first of all, I didn't mean to invalidate your opinions at all. Your feelings and thoughts on the episode are as valid as mine, and you not loving the episode didn't bother me at all, I don't think you're wrong for it. I suppose I could have worded it better, I do think it was somewhat "Cynical and angry" but I didn't intend for that to be taken in a negative light, not in this case at least. I'm sorry, my wording was poor here. One of my least favorite things to see is fans invalidating others opinions, whether they liked an episode or not, so you taking it that way makes me feel kind of like a hypocrite.

 You did give plenty of reasons for your dislike, what I felt was more that the reasons didn't seem like they had much...well, reason to them. At least to me. I didn't get the feeling Pinkie didn't know how gifts function from this, she gave up something she loved to get a gift for her sister, seems sweet to me, perhaps that only proves that I don't know how gifts function. I agree she could have tried to bargain more, perhaps that happened off-screen, either way it feels like a minor complaint to me.

 As does the one about Rarity's Pinkie impression, it was just a cute, silly, cartoonish little moment, I doubt the writer's had any kind of big reason behind it. I just thought the episode was cute, funny, and heartwarming. The jokes got a chuckle, and Pinkie and Maud's sisterly love for each other seemed nice.

 I suppose my biggest "Issue" with this review isn't that you disliked the episode, or even hated it. That's fine, I just think your statement that it damaged your faith in the whole show is a real stretch, it's one episode by one writer, unless the episode had been something super offensive, that seems a bit far to me. It didn't feel fan pandering at all to me, even if you disliked it for that reason, I don't get the feeling that was the writer's intention at all.

 Either way, I hope the next few episodes are more to your taste, it's always better when you're having fun with the show, and it sucks when you can't enjoy an episode.

Okay, know this is a really late response, sorry. I checked back here for a while after posting but I eventually forgot and just remembered, so I figured I might as well respond even if I am late.

 

 Okay, first of all, I didn't mean to invalidate your opinions at all. Your feelings and thoughts on the episode are as valid as mine, and you not loving the episode didn't bother me at all, I don't think you're wrong for it. I suppose I could have worded it better, I do think it was somewhat "Cynical and angry" but I didn't intend for that to be taken in a negative light, not in this case at least. I'm sorry, my wording was poor here. One of my least favorite things to see is fans invalidating others opinions, whether they liked an episode or not, so you taking it that way makes me feel kind of like a hypocrite.

 

 You did give plenty of reasons for your dislike, what I felt was more that the reasons didn't seem like they had much...well, reason to them. At least to me. I didn't get the feeling Pinkie didn't know how gifts function from this, she gave up something she loved to get a gift for her sister, seems sweet to me, perhaps that only proves that I don't know how gifts function. I agree she could have tried to bargain more, perhaps that happened off-screen, either way it feels like a minor complaint to me.

 

 As does the one about Rarity's Pinkie impression, it was just a cute, silly, cartoonish little moment, I doubt the writer's had any kind of big reason behind it. I just thought the episode was cute, funny, and heartwarming. The jokes got a chuckle, and Pinkie and Maud's sisterly love for each other seemed nice.

 

 I suppose my biggest "Issue" with this review isn't that you disliked the episode, or even hated it. That's fine, I just think your statement that it damaged your faith in the whole show is a real stretch, it's one episode by one writer, unless the episode had been something super offensive, that seems a bit far to me. It didn't feel fan pandering at all to me, even if you disliked it for that reason, I don't get the feeling that was the writer's intention at all.

 

 Either way, I hope the next few episodes are more to your taste, it's always better when you're having fun with the show, and it sucks when you can't enjoy an episode.

Oh. Uh... Thank you for understanding.

The problem I have with this episode is that it's a tired old Stock Plot. Some executive demanded "Make Maud episode to make bronies happy, or you fired!". And so, some writer, entirely out of ideas, opened up a catalogue of Stock Plots and said "Let's do the 'They shrink themselves to fit inside someone's body and retrieve something' plot!", and another slapped him and said "NO! We are NOT THAT DESPERATE! Let's try... 'Two friends or lovers or whatever give up something they like to get their friend a gift they can only enjoy if they have whatever they just gave up, which they don't".

And then the executive said "This story amazing and originals! But too sad. Make happy end. Moral no matter. Just want see Maud. Me love Maud most of all. Make episode Maud episode. OR ME FIRE YOU!"

And so, we got this episode. And let's be real here, if it was "Offensive", I wouldn't care. If there was an episode about racist old Earth Ponies as a metahpor for old jerks, or Unicorns as a metaphor for classist idiots that think killing all the poor is a good idea because it'd shut them up and stop them complaining, it'd be ok. If there was an episode where gay-hating old folks kicked out their gay colt and he had to live with the Mane Six until they found him a new home, that'd be ok. Even if they had him live with Twilight, he developed a crush on Spike, and they went with a stupid "Gay guy likes straight guy. They can never be together. omgffff so trajik!" plot. And if they put Derpy back into the series and let her be her Patrick-voiced clumsy, idiotic self AND brought her to the secondary character level, appearing in many episodes, I'd cheer.

But here's the thing... At least the crappy Breezies episode tried to World-Build. At least Boast Busters tried to tell a story and introduce a Rival to Twilight, though Trixie wasn't really hate-able or much of a villain or rival in that episode. At least Lightning Dust was kind of a villain, even though the balloon shouldn't have been there in the first place and any non-BF military commander that didn't have a huge crush on Rainbow Dash would have said the same thing. At least those episodes TRIED to be original. This... This is phoning it in, being lazy, not even bothering to try to be good. It damaged my faith in the show because I thought it was above this. It picked a Stock Plot, went for it, mangled it, and spat the remains onto a table like a cat trying to feed its owner. And just like that cat, it failed, except even that cat managed to have more love for those it feeds than the writers of this episode. The average human puts more effort into defecating than the writers put into this episode, and you typically get a more palatable product at the end of it, too. The Writers. Just. Didn't. Care. They put zero effort into this episode, and made it nothing more than cheap pandering to Maud fans. It's not just a terrible episode, it doesn't deserve to be called an episode.