The Cone of Silence

    The Cone of Silence. One of Max's favorite gadgets, it never worked properly, yet Max never gave up faith in it. It was designed by Professor Cone, at least in the show's mythology. In reality, Set Designer Stan Jolley designed the Cone for the show. Unfortunately, there are no still pictures of the Cone. All we have are screen captures.

The Many Failures of the Cone of Silence

Mr. Big

The Cone makes its first appearance in the very first episode. The Cone is so silent that Max and the Chief are unable to hear each other, making communication next to impossible.

KAOS in Control

Max demands the Cone so that Hodgkins is unable to hear the information discussed. The Cone is lowered and Max and the Chief are unable to hear each other. Hodgkins can hear everything, however, so the Cone is raised.

My Nephew the Spy

The Chief asks Max to report on the progress he's made in finding KAOS headquarters. Max demands the Cone to make his report. The Chief lowers the Cone and Max reports that he's made no progress at all. The Chief immediately raises the Cone.

Too Many Chiefs

The Chief doesn't want to use the Cone because it hasn't been working properly, but Max insists. As they talk, the Cone starts rising and descending. As they finish their conversation, the Cone keeps descending, crushing the Chief's desk and forcing Max and the Chief to drop to the floor.

Smart the Assassin

Max and Chief use the Cone to prevent 99 from hearing them. Unfortunately, the Cone has a tremendous echo in it, completely eliminating its usefulness.

 

I'm Only Human

Max and the Chief enter the Cone, but so does a bee. The sound of the bee buzzing overwhelms both of them, allowing the Cone to fail once again.

 

Hubert's Unfinished Symphony

Max unveils the portable Cone of Silence! This gets used to allow top-secret communication in the field. Unfortunately, the lock on the Chief's side refused to unlock and the Chief gets stuck in the portable Cone while Max tries to force the lock open.

The Whole Tooth

Max asks to talk to the Chief in private and he demands the Cone to discuss this sensitive issue. Under the Cone Max reveals the sensitive issue is that he wants to borrow $20 from the Chief. The Cone won't raise up and Max is able to slither out from under the Cone. An alarm goes off and Max runs out of the office, leaving the Chief stuck in the Cone.

A Man Called Smart, Part I

It's a big emergency at CONTROL and so they need to fit as many agents as possible under the Cone. It's the first time 99 gets to go into the Cone and she shares her side with the Chief. In order to hear each other, they all have to constantly switch positions, which is difficult given the cramped conditions under the Cone.

 

That Old Gang of Mine

Max, 99, and the Chief visit CONTROL's branch in England, where they use the Umbrella of Silence. Thought not technically a Cone of Silence appearance, it still deserves mention.

 

A Tale of Two Tails

Max demands the Cone of Silence, but he and the Chief are unable to hear each other. That forces them to get out the Control Card File to communicate under the Cone.

 

 

All images of the cone Copyright Time-Life/HBO


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