My Big, New "Libby's Identity" Theory

[Aero Zeppelin]

After doing some thinking, and some watching of the First Season on DVD, I remembered reading on here that Maggie Grace will be back in flashbacks for Season 3, I wondered what possibly her unresolved story is that has yet to be told, and then I realized: We haven't met Shannon's mother. This got me to thinking, and I developed a new theory:

Libby is Shannon's mother.

This would make Libby's full (married) name "Elizabeth Rutherford".

This theory is backed up by not only similarities in Libby's and Shannon's appearances, but also their respective ages play into this.
- Shannon was 21 at her time of death.
- Libby (in a deleted scene) has said she has been married three times, including annulments, putting her in her late 30s.
-- According to LostPedia, Libby was born in 1967, putting her age at 37 as of 2004.

She may have been with/married Adam Rutherford and had Shannon at the age of 17, only for Adam to leave her later on. For Sabrina Carlyle.

Now, you may be asking, wouldn't Libby recognize her own daughter? I mean, Libby saw Shannon die at the hands of Ana-Lucia. Alow me to explain.

Libby may not have seen Shannon since she was a small child, because after Adam left Libby (or vice versa), Shannon (obviously) went to live with her dad, and later on, Sabrina and Boone. This may explain Libby's lack of recognition of Shannon (if, indeed, Shannon is her daughter).

-------

There's my rough theory. I'm working out other details. If you find any flaws, please tell me. I would like to improve this theory as much as possible.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[nischwartz]

This could very well be a good theory. Libby never had a chance to talk to Shannon before she died. I would have thought that she might have mentioned having a daughter with the same name, but that would be a great twist.

[nischwartz]

Another thought - She was in the mental hospital to treat her depresion/other symptoms from losing her daughter

[Captain Insano]

Yeah okay, doing that any charaters around 13 years over Shannon's age and has a vagina could be her mother. PS: Libby would most logically be 16 when she had Shannon if she Shannon in the first place.

[Aero Zeppelin]

Nischwartz: Yeah!

I was trying to work that one out in my head, and kept getting that Shannon had something to do with mommy being in the loony bin.

To add on: Libby really wanted to have kids when she was younger, and having Shannon was the best thing that ever happened to her. Her life felt complete. But when Adam took Shan away from her, she felt alone and needy. She got married 2 to 3 times more, and when things didn't work out with one or two of those marriages, Libby got them annulled. She gets married to David, and everything's happy again. David dies, and Libby's alone once more. She looks good on the outside, possibly putting on a good face for society (because, if she was rich enough to own a boat, she could have been a well-known socialite). She finally breaks down, and ends up in SRMHI.

To add on, she later finds out about Adam Rutherford's death in a car crash, and is freaked out bythe possibility of Shannon being involved, too, and that's another possible reason she ended up in SRMHI.

Captain Insano: I'm still trying to work out the theory, so I'l make an alternate one where Libby had Shannon at 16, and had to give her up for adoption.

[Captain Insano]

You don't have to give a baby up for adoption when you are 16, it is just 37-21 equals 16 and you have she might have had shannon when she was 17.

[Aero Zeppelin]

Yeah. Either way, it always helps to have additional theories. and also the whole numbers thing (16!!!) helps my theory in a way, too!

[Nitr0gene]

Hmmm, that's a good theory, quite like it. I still want to know why Libby doesn't technically recognise Hurley on the island, when they were in the same mental institution together. Then again, if she had a complete mental breakdown then those sorts of details probably wouldn't click.

[greenfinger]

It's a good theory, but haven't we seen Shannon's mother in series 1 ? & it wasn't Libby.
Unless you're suggesting that wasn't her real mother ?

[Scaico]

Originally Posted by Nitr0gene

I still want to know why Libby doesn't technically recognise Hurley on the island, when they were in the same mental institution together. Then again, if she had a complete mental breakdown then those sorts of details probably wouldn't click.

Actually, I think she DID recognised him... But she didn't wanted HIM to recognise her from there...
That's why she lied about him stomped on her foot... since we saw Hurley entering on the plane and he didnt stomped on her foot at all...

Also, she probably lied about being clinical psychologist, since she was actually a pacient at the mental institution... Of course a clinical psychologist could get into some serious shi* and get a little bit crazy, tho...