Parks and Recreation 2x9

The Camel

“The Camel” is the ninth episode of the second season of Parks and Recreation, and the fifteenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on November 12, 2009. In the episode, Leslie and the parks department bicker as they work on a proposal for a new town hall mural, while Ron and Andy share an awkward moment at Andy’s new shoe-shine job.

The episode was written by Rachel Axler and was directed by Millicent Shelton. The title refers to the figure of speech that a camel is a “horse made by a committee”, and refers to the final mural proposed by the parks department. “The Camel” included references to several Indiana celebrities, including Greg Kinnear, John Mellencamp, Larry Bird, Michael Jackson and David Letterman, all of whom have a place in the mural representing Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

Stand-up comedian Kirk Fox made a guest appearance as Joe, from the Pawnee sewage department. According to Nielsen Media Research, “The Camel” was seen by 4.67 million viewers, a drop from the previous week. The episode received generally positive reviews, with particular praise for the Ron and Andy subplot, and the jokes involving Jerry’s “murinal”.