The Camel (Parks and Recreation)
| "The Camel" | |
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| Parks and Recreation episode | |
Jerry presents his proposed "murinal"
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| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 9 |
| Directed by | Millicent Shelton |
| Written by | Rachel Axler |
| Original air date | November 12, 2009 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
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"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".
The Pawnee council decides it will replace the town hall's "Spirit of Pawnee" mural, which has been repeatedly vandalized because of its racist overtones. When each Pawnee department is asked to propose a new mural, Leslie (Amy Poehler) becomes determined for the parks department to win, especially after she is taunted by "Sewage" Joe (Kirk Fox) in the sewer department. Everyone in the parks department is told to come up with a possible mural. Tom (Aziz Ansari) pays a local artist (Doug Anthony Jones) to make a painting for him, and he is initially unsatisfied with the result, a colorful abstract painting. When presenting it to the staff, however, he suddenly experiences his first emotional reaction to a work of art. Ann (Rashida Jones), who acknowledges a lack of creative talent, presents a rendering of a park that is widely panned by the others. April (Aubrey Plaza) presents a dark and bizarre piece made of garbage she found in a dumpster. Donna (Retta) presents a version of The Last Supper with famous people from Indiana. Jerry (Jim O'Heir) presents a beautiful pointillist photomosaic of city hall, but everyone laughs at him when he accidentally calls his mural a "murinal". Leslie proposes a picture of a historic Pawnee bakery fire, which she thinks will win because it is dark and depressing.
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