"The Star-Ledger" television columnist Alan Sepinwall declared "The Camel" one of the episodes he would suggest to newcomers seeking to become familiar with "Parks and Recreation". Sepinwall said the Ron and Andy subplot "made me laugh as hard as I have in a very long time", and said the episode had a good mix of funny, sweet and ridiculous moments, and said the ensemble cast was starting to work extremely well together. "The A.V. Club" writer Leonard Pierce said the episode included great lines, strong personality-driven comedy and good character moments, specially Tom's emotional reaction to his painting. Pierce said the Andy and Ron subplot was "so well played that it threatens to usurp the mural storyline". Sandra Gonzalez particularly praised the "murinal" jokes about Jerry's mural, as well as Ron's claim that he ran a sheet metal factory when he was nine, and that "Child labor laws are ruining this country." "Time" magazine television critic James Poniewozik said make jokes connected in "The Camel", including the Andy shoeshine plot and the "unexpectedly glamorous" sewage department. But he particularly praised the character development in the main plot, in which "each in their own way sticks to the purity of their uniquely screwy ideas". Brad Sanders of the "Indiana Daily Student" praised the entire cast, particularly Offerman and Pratt, who he said provide the show's two best characters. Sanders said the fact that the episode included a "hilarious subplot" involving both of them "was more evidence that the writers have been listening to the fans". "GQ" writer Dan Fierman said "Parks and Recreation" appeared to be "approaching early "Simpsons"-levels in its absurdity and comic pacing". He suggested this could be due to the use of Mike Scully, a veteran comic writer with the animated series, as a consulting producer on "Parks and Recreation". In an article reflecting on the "Parks and Recreation" second season, which became critically acclaimed following poor season one reviews, "Slate" magazine writer Jonah Weiner said the plot of "The Camel" "can be read as something of a Season 2 mission statement". Weiner compared Leslie's decision to submit the quirky collage rather than the safer bet as reflective of the "Parks and Recreation" writing staff's apparent decision "to ride their zaniest whims rather than tamp them down for something more readily recognizable as a hit sitcom". "The Camel", along with the other 23 second season episodes of "Parks and Recreation", was released on a four-disc DVD set in the United States on November 30, 2010.