"Hi, Society" focuses mainly on the growing relationship between Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) and Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), the complex love-triangle between Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford), Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) and Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), and the slow transformation of Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen) from an outsider to a social climber.

The episode further delves into the difficult relationship between Rufus Humphrey (Matthew Settle) and Lily van der Woodsen (Kelly Rutherford) and introduces a new recurring guest character to the series, CeCe Rhodes, Lily's mother and Serena's grandmother, portrayed by veteran actress Caroline Lagerfelt.

Nate proceeds to apologize with the intent to win Blair back, and succeeds in doing so when he shows her a pin that she sewed into his sweater sleeve.

As the Rhodes women bond over Serena's boarding school trips and stories, CeCe privately tells Lily of her illness, revealing more of Lily's past when she states that she did not attend her cotillion when she was younger, and slowly manipulating her into forcing Serena to attend cotillion.

The aura of wealth and affluence eventually makes Dan uncomfortable at the party and CeCe toys with his exclusion from Serena's high society world.

Hoping to convince Serena of her grandmother's manipulative nature, Dan reveals to her all of CeCe's actions since her arrival but fails to persuade her.

Sebastian Stan reprises his role as Carter Baizen after his first appearance in the fourth episode of the first season, "Bad News Blair".

"[2]Eric Daman considers Blair's silver brocade gown as one of his eleven favorite looks from the series during a September interview for New York Magazine, calling it "very beautiful and retro.

"[2] The Pierces performed live "Secret" and "Three Wishes" from their third album Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge, during the Debutante Ball.

The moment it became clear that “Hi, Society” was going to center around a cotillion—that deliciously antiquated ritual left over from the earliest days of New York high society—I had a feeling the show would find itself again."

I think it’s a good idea to have this very young girl poised between two different worlds—one that buys its extravagant shoes from Saks and the one she has the economic misfortune to occupy.

By the end of the episode, it looked like Jenny was unconvinced by her mother’s scolding, which can only be good for a show that’s firmly back in its element.

[7] New York Magazine praised the revived social class tension between Dan and Serena as well as the character of CeCe, stating that "[she] reminded us that even old ladies can be catty bitches."

So prim, so refined, so wonderfully malevolent, she seems to lurk around every corner and drinks cocktails like rocket fuel, never letting her ice to get too lonely.