In addition to showing how cruelly Connell's friends bully Marianne, the series gives us an extended look at what happened at Debs. Basically, Connell asks Rachel out as a front and ends up hurting Marianne's feelings. We see a guilt-ridden Connell leaving Marianne an anguished message telling her that he loves her. There's still a scene in the book where he goes to the dance with Rachel, but we don't quite get such a confessional moment about his feelings for Marianne.