MANILA - Since the beginning, "Till I Met You" has hinted that Ali (JC Santos) is gay.

The character's struggles are the main plot driver for the series' first week, allowing viewers an inner sneak peek into the mind of an adolescent confused with his sexuality.

On Wednesday's episode, Ali admitted to himself and Iris (Nadine Lustre), his girlfriend, that he is in love with Basti (James Reid), effectively ending their relationship which began in high school.

It marks a shift in gear for the series, which had been tiptoeing around the possibility of gay love. It is also a complete departure from the teasers that painted Iris as a woman who still could not figure out what went wrong between her and Ali, oblivious to her ex's feelings for Basti.

After witnessing a failed marriage proposal, Ali storms out and confronts Iris: "Bakla ako. Alam ko iyong sinasabi ko. Dapat matagal ko nang sinabi sa iyo. I fell in love with Basti. I'm sorry."

Ali's admission did not sit well with Iris, who, in tears, slaps her high school sweetheart and walks away. Basti sees this and approaches Ali, telling him that he is making a mistake for falling in love with someone else, unaware that he is the subject of his affection.

The episode also reveals that there's also a lot more substance to the series' choice of location, as one of Basti's friends points out, Greece is known for being one of the most liberal countries in Southern Europe. "Alam mo, masaya dito sa Mykonos," the friend tells Ali. "Kasi dito wala kang kailangan itago. Puwede mong ilabas ang totoong ikaw."

The reveal also comes as Basti starts to develop feelings for Iris, touched by her loyalty to Ali. This may present a complicated balancing act for director Antoinette Jadaone in the future: How do you make this a full-blown love triangle? Does Ali have a chance with Basti? Or will the series continue to tread carefully the gay angle for the sake of satisfying fans of Lustre and Reid, craving for sweet moments between their favorite onscreen couple.

But that's for another recap. For now, the series is still one of the most talked about topics on social media, garnering millions of mentions on Twitter since its August 29 debut. Many are swooning over Basti and Ali. Some, however, are all praises for Santos, and his more-than-capable portrayal of a teen struggling with his inner feelings for his guy best friend.

"Is this person worth it?" Sagot, Ali, sagot! #TIMYTheAdmission

— Tonette, Tonette (@tonetjadaone) September 7, 2016

And the bar is raised! Intelligent, non-cliche serye 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 #TIMYTheAdmission

— Tita Dinz (@dinzcastro) September 7, 2016

If last night's last scene was James' moment to shine, tonight's was Nadine's. (And JC, of course.) #TIMYTheAdmission

— Jasika (@mintedjasika) September 7, 2016

If #TIMYTheAdmission is like any other serye, they would have waited til Friday before the admission. W TIMY, every day is Friday! INTENSE!

— Alejandro Leon (@iamjuaneagle) September 7, 2016

It's good that I can't figure out what will happen next. Hindi ko maisip kung anong next sa story. Thats a very good news #TIMYTheAdmission

— VEVY (@VevyMuch) September 7, 2016

Woah there Nadine Lustre is raising the game and the bar higher and higher. Haha im just gonna have popcorn haters. #TIMYTheAdmission

— karizza Cruz (@kariizzacRuz) September 7, 2016

I'm totally speechless now! Kudos Team TIMY! #TIMYTheAdmission

— Eric John Salut (@ericjohnsalut) September 7, 2016

Kudos to the creative team behind Til I Met You! Sobrang ganda! #TIMYTheAdmission

— Kat De Castro (@KatDeCastro) September 7, 2016