PCC#6 "When One of Us Shines, All of Us Shine" (Sept. 2, 2023)

[pchow13]

Finally getting around to posting my old puzzles here on this forum.

Please see below for PCC#6 - "When One of Us Shines, All of Us Shine" originally posted on Crosshare 09/02/23

[Level 1] Meta prompt: The answer to the meta is a #1 song from the 1980s that would make an apt title for this puzzle

For this puzzle, Googling is encouraged as there are a lot of names in this puzzle - I apologize for the subpar fill... hope the payoff is worth it!

Note: the level is the intended difficulty I had in mind when I designed the puzzle, but may play differently since every solver has their own area of expertise... what one person may find easy, another may find difficult.

Have fun and keep in mind if you're ever lost at sea, google is your best friend (actually, I don't know if you'd get internet service in the middle of the ocean)
-Phil

When One of Us Shines, All of Us Shine
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Nudges below:

Hint #1: Some solvers love them, some solvers hate them... rebus squares! but these aren't just ordinary rebuses...

Hint #2: The rebus squares are bidirectional and contain characters from a TV show as well as a part of a plant

Hint #3: What is the shared surname of the TV show characters? (not the surname of the actors)

Hint #4: The band's name of the meta answer song is the answer to 41-Down

Solution below - SPOILER ALERT:

Answer explanation: The rebuses in the four corners of the grid have a name going across (ALEXIS, JOHNNY, MOIRA, DAVID) and THORN going down... Alexis, Johnny, Moira, and David are the main characters in "Schitt's Creek" and their surname on the show is ROSE (see 15-Down, 23-Down, 50-Across)... and so the meta answer is "Every Rose Has Its Thorn"