How would Shmi have reacted to Anakin's fall?

There could of been alternative Ways that Anakin could have turned to the Darkside.

 

As long as those alternate ways don't involve Anakin crying his eyes out, whining and sobbing as he becomes Darth Vader, I'd be all for it.

 

He could've easily become Vader in AOTC. I mean, Obi Wan on his back about his lightsaber, no love from Padme, the only person who pays interest to him is an old creepy politician and to top it off his mother dies.

Then again, this is the possibility if Shmi didn't die right? Still, thats enough to drive a sane man craz-y.

 

But Shmi was the turning point, the first time Anakin gave into his dark nature.

 

I'd like to put it in terms that OT-Vader said himself: meaning when Anakin slew the Tusken camp it was the first time he completely released his anger which led him to give into his hatred and that allowed him to tap deeply into his power making it easy to destroy them all...

I bet he thought they weren't even putting up a fight.
This was the most evil out of all the pre-Vader moves, and the whole sequence leading up to the slaughter scene was extremely well conceived by Lucas.
(Strilo might have a Fred Sanford moment)

 

One of the major reasons he fell was because she died, so her reaction to him falling is kinda moot. BUT - for discussions sake, I think obviously she would have tried to either bring him back, or - or nothing, she would have tried to bring him back.

 

If Padme died of a 'broken heart', then I don't see how his mother could have survived.

I think it is likely that she would of died via broken heart.

 

IA.

No Shmi dying plot = no Anakin turning plot.

Shmi's death, and Anakin's inability to save her, from his POV (which means failure), was his real final nail in the coffin despite what RotS shows us -- Padme being his reason for turning.

Had Anakin turned for some other reason that fear of loss, then I would like to think that Shmi would be a stronger person than Padme and fight for her son with everything she had to turn him back. Afterall, there should be at least one woman that cares enough about her children as not to take the easy way out and just die.

 

Which could eventually lead to Darth Vader killing Shmi. If he did turn for some other reason, and she fought to reason with him it could end up like the Padme choking scene in ROTS, but she'd be older and much easier to kill.