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Since its premiere in 2017, Noah Hawley’s “Legion” has been something of a basic cable wonder. A very, very loose adaptation of the little known Marvel Comics character, the FX series has pushed the creative boundaries of the episodic medium in ways that would make even David Lynch gush. Hawley and his writing team have also been more than willing to make the title character, aka David (Dan Stevens), hard to root for at times. The third and final season appears to take that on as a narrative challenge: Will you still enjoy this show if our hero is now, essentially, a villain? Hold that thought for a moment while we catch up.

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When we last left “Legion,” David, a mutant with almost unlimited telepathic and telekinetic abilities, had defeated his longtime enemy, Amahl Farouk aka The Shadow King (Navid Negahban), and captured his no. 2, the wicked, but tragic Lenny (Aubrey Plaza). At the same time, the love of his life, Syd (Rachel Keller) learned from a future version of herself that David was destined to end the world. David then used his powers to change her memories and removing this knowledge to make her love him again. Division 3, the government agency David and Syd have aligned themselves with, discover what he’s done and try to capture him. They fail and David escapes with Lenny at his side.

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The new season picks up an indeterminate time down the road and initially spends a good amount of time introducing us to a new character, Switch (Lauren Tsai). The college-age daughter of a rich Asian businessman who barely interacts with her, Switch has the mutant power to create a doorway that will let her go back in time. She listens to audio sessions titled “Lessons In Time Travel” with sage advice such as “Remember, the present is not just a date. It’s a feeling.” And “Every negative can be turned into a positive. Once you know how.” She’s not an expert time traveler yet, but she’s getting there.

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A loner, she eventually finds a cult of young people who are little too into early ’70s chic and getting high from a mysterious substance created by their leader, you guessed it, David. Lenny is now going by the moniker the Breakfast Queen and is somehow about to be a father, er, mother as well as keeping busy as David’s enforcer within the cult. David, of course, has created this tribe for selfish purposes. He needs love from his followers to ease his own pain and is using them to hunt for a time traveler. His goal is to change the past to set things “right” even if there is no guarantee it will do so. It appears his savior has arrived on his doorstep in Switch. The problem, he soon discovers, is that Switch’s powers are limited. Oh, and the further back in time she goes the more she opens the regular world to Time Eaters, demons that are a threat to everyone they encounter. David also has to deal with Division 3 which, with Farouk as a “good guy” on their side, are close to capturing or, more likely at this point, killing him. A dangerous situation that Switch immediately finds herself in the middle of.

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In full-out war mode, finding David is Division 3’s no. 1 priority. They are traveling in an airship that reminds you of the MCU’s S.H.I.E.L.D. transport and have recalibrated their deceased friend Ptonomy (Jeremie Harris) into a robot tied into their mainframe. Clark (Hamish Linklater), is leading the effort, but growing increasingly frustrated with their lack of success. Syd? She’s blatantly out for revenge. Clearly, things will come to a dramatic head…eventually.

In the six episodes provided, Hawley continues to take detours so we can better understand these characters’ motivations. One episode flashes back to David’s childhood and explains why his mother (Stephanie Corneliussen, superb) and father, Charles Xavier (Harry Lloyd), are forced to give him up. Another jumps into the astral plane where Oliver and Melanie (Jemaine Clement, Jean Smart) provide an unexpected life lesson for Syd. But David is still at the center of all of it, and his anger and power are increasingly becoming all-consuming.

What makes “Legion” such as joy to experience, however, is the almost countless artistic chances the show takes on an episode by episode basis. From Marco Niro’s inspiring production design to Dana Gonzales glorious cinematography to Jeff Russo‘s futuristic score there is a level of excellence on display with the best of episodic content. But that’s just the start, Hawley and his team will throw in musical numbers (“Something For Your M.I.N.D.” by Superorgasim is the only one we’ll spoil), rap battles, a “Flight of the Conchords” reunion and deliberately quirky choices that are clearly brilliant in hindsight (or a second viewing).

Unlike many television programs that survive past their first season, you can also feel the imprint of the directors brought on to helm individual episodes. This year’s ensemble features Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo,” “WALL-E”), Carlos López Estrada (“Blindspotting”), Arkasha Stevenson, Daniel Kwan (“Swiss Army Man”) and executive producer John Cameron (“Friday Night Lights”) who has directed a number of chapters each season. Stanton’s Oscar-winning eye is quite apparent in his contribution, the season premiere, and it gives the series an unexpected jolt when it didn’t seem there was much more leeway in “Legion’s” stylistic look book.

It also doesn’t hurt that most of “Legion’s” cast always seems to be having a grand ol’ time. Stevens and Plaza, in particular, seem to relish every moment of a show that some might call “bats**t crazy” in the best way possible. Notably, this time around Hawley gives Plaza the gift of an unexpected arc for Lenny which allows her to truly demonstrate her impressive range as an actor. And Stevens? He might just find a way to make you root for David in the end (maybe).

The third season of “Legion” is one of those experiences where even after two stellar seasons you cannot believe Hawley and his colleagues have the guts to try and pull off one unexpected moment after another. You often find yourself responding in superlatives that would make an ad agency marketing director cry tears of joy. Granted, they still have to find a way to wrap it all up in a manner that lives up to the chapters before it but based on the meticuliously planned out narrative we’ve already witnessed, we might be more optimistic than we should be. [A-]

“Legion” returns to FX on Monday, June 24.