Grey's Anatomy's Dr Casey Parker deserved better as the show's first trans male character

Interviewing for a job at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, Dr Miranda Bailey took an immediate shine to the medic, played by Alex Blue Davis, who came armed with an impressive CV that included two tours in Iraq as part of the Air Force and cybersecurity.

They also shared a mutual attraction of Hawkeye Pierce from M*A*S*H, which didn't hurt either.

But most notably, Parker was also Greys' first transgender male character, something that was initially hidden from viewers and doctors.

Once hired, it didn't take long for him to stand out from his peers. When the hospital's entire computer system was hacked, it was Parker who saved the day, short-circuiting the blood storage keypad with a defibrillator so that the doctors had access during the crisis.

Impressed, Bailey asked him to take back the whole system, but got a shock when her new favourite intern warned that he wasn't technically allowed to use his cyber hacking skills following his arrest.

On quizzing him further, however, her fears were allayed: Parker's brush with the law came after the DMV refused to change his gender to male on his driver's licence, so he did it himself.

In a simple and understated way, he explained: "I'm a proud trans man, Dr Bailey, but I like for people to get to know me before they find out my private medical history."

She gave him a knowing smile, before never mentioning it again.

Read more:

• RT Pride: 15 of the most important LGBTQ+ shows of all time
• Why Lost Boys & Fairies is TV's most authentic depiction of gay shame

While Grey's Anatomy addressed Parker's trans identity and moved on, the character brought much-needed representation to the series.

While there is slow but sure improvement, trans-male representation, in particular, remains scarce outside of young adult dramas, which seem more willing to accommodate gender identity stories, making Davis landing a key role in Grey's back in 2017 a groundbreaking moment – outdating Elliot Page's Viktor Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy by five years, Paul Strickland in 911: Lone Star by three, and Gottmik on RuPaul's Drag Race by four.

Grey's also made it a point that Parker's gender identity was just a small piece of an increasingly interesting and lovable character. He was injured during a tour in Iraq, with his subsequent treatment inspiring him to change careers and become a doctor. He became the go-to guy for hospital gossip, sometimes putting his foot in his mouth as a result. He was great at his job, and thought on his feet in difficult situations.

Parker's likability quickly allowed him to infiltrate the main characters' inner circle. Dr Bailey and Dr Hunt both take him under their wing, seeing his potential as a rising-star, and he was trusted with harder tasks compared to other interns.

He aided April when she struggled with her faith, and got an invite to Jo and Alex's wedding.

But despite the endless well of potential storylines Parker had, something seemed to shift in the writers' room during season 15. Very quickly, it became clear they weren't quite sure what to do with him.

Parker was soon shuffled further into the background, until eventually he became furniture rather than a character with any depth.

The only thing we learn is he has a girlfriend, who remains off-screen.

So when Parker was written off the show completely in season 16, it seemed unceremonious and unfair. His exit felt swift and stunted, and largely unearned.

During Let's All Go to the Bar – a two-part crossover with sister series Station 19 – Parker and his co-workers were trapped with civilians when a car crashed into their local bar.

In the connecting Station 19 episode, we learned that Parker has knocked his head and was experiencing war flashbacks. Dazed and confused, he spoke in army jargon few understood, believing that they'd been bombed.

Once in the safety of the hospital, it became clear that he had a temporal lobe contusion, which exacerbated his PTSD – something we didn't know he suffered with until that point.

After a slight scare when he scurried away to hide in the hospital's hyperbaric chamber, Parker was taken away for treatment in the Neuro ICU.

And that was it. Parker was never seen again and what could have been incredible trans visibility evaporated from the series.

Even a large chunk of his exit storyline was relegated to Station 19, a show until that point he had not appeared in, even in a cameo.

While we later hear he's in recovery, viewers aren't told what that entails. Will he ever be a doctor again? Is it permanent?

Read more:

• Grey's Anatomy season 21: Release date speculation, cast news, and latest information
• Grey's Anatomy star dispels rumours he's leaving: "I'm not going anywhere"

We didn't get to see Casey in a relationship, or him wrestling with divulging his trans identity to others. We didn't see how he would handle more bigoted patients and doctors, or how his oath would be tested when he tried to help them as we did with Black doctors who helped a white supremacist with a Swastika on his stomach.

Parker's personal life remained off-screen completely – which is especially noticeable in a show where hooking up in the on-call room is a daily occurrence. We learned nothing of his family dynamic, or how his transition may have affected it.

And yet, despite knowing so little about him, and the fact that he only appeared in 28 episodes, it says a lot about Davis's portrayal of Parker that he's become so universally loved among fans, and how five years later people still wonder if he'll ever come back.

Grey's Anatomy has championed numerous LGBTQ+ characters and storylines during its 20-season run, from Arizona Robbins and Callie Torres's same-sex marriage to the introduction of non-binary doctor Kai Bartley.

Jackson Avery, a straight doctor, pioneers surgeries which could benefit trans people, and the series features cases of the week that revolve around gender identity. Through this, we see older doctors like Webber not understanding what it means to be genderqueer or they/them pronouns, but being willing to learn – even if it takes a minute.

So it really is an utter disservice to fans that the show fumbled the execution of Parker so badly. A doctor who, if allowed more opportunity and screen time, had the potential to be one of the show's most defining and interesting characters.

He deserved far better than the hasty exit written for him, and while the door is open for a potential return, it's likely we'll never know his true fate, which is a crying shame.

Grey's Anatomy seasons 1 to 20 (so far) are available to stream on Disney Plus now – sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.